Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2004. Vol. 4. Eger Journal of English Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 30)

ÉVA KOVÁCS The Diachronic Development ofPhrasal Verbs in English

The Diachronic Development of Phrasal Verbs in English 119 Purh- is a verbal prefix which according to Quirk and Wrenn (1957: 118) modifies verbs with the sense of 'through, completely', e.g.: (a) i>urhirnan 'to run through' where the prefix is primarily directional in meaning and occurs with a verb of motion. (b) t>urhclaensian 'to cleanse thoroughly' where the prefix may have both meanings 'to clean through' (directional) and 'to clean to the end, completely, thoroughly (telic)' according to Brinton (1988: 205). (c) í>urhtéon 'to carry through or out, to an end, to accomplish' where the root of the verb undergoes a metaphorical shift from the physical to the mental domain, bringing the prefix along. (d) i>urhlaeran 'to persuade' where the meaning of the prefix is restricted to the meaning of non-spatial goal or endpoint. Of- usually gives 'perfective aspect' (Quirk and Wrenn 1957: 114) or normally occurs with an 'intensive value' (de la Cruz (1975: 56). Brinton (1988: 208), however argues as follows: (a) ofgifan 'to give up, leave, abandon', which is primarily telic but retains some directional meaning. (b) ofsettan 'to beset, press hard, oppress' in which a metaphorical shift from the physical to the mental domain has affected the root and the prefix marks the endpoint of psychological pressure, namely oppression. Tő- is a prefix which "with many verbs, especially verbs of force.

.. gives perfective aspect" (Quirk and Wrenn 1957: 114), while Brinton (1988: 206) interprets it like this: (a) töcwisan 'to shatter, to break to pieces' with the notion of goal (b) tösyndrian to separate'; fig. 'to distinguish' in which the root has both a literal and a figurative meaning, i.e. the physical action of dividing and the mental action of dividing. For- "intensifies, often with a shift to perfective aspect" (Quirk and Wrenn 1957: 110). De la Cruz (1975: 51) suggests that it may have developed the connotation of "wrongness" or "the contrary with a negative connotation." Brinton (1988: 208) points out that the adverbial notion of "forth, away" yields by iconic principles the notion of the endpoint of an activity, which may result in intensification, or destruction, e. g.: (a) forwisnian 'to wither away' (b) forrotian 'to become wholly rotten' Although Quirk and Wrenn (1957: 114) say that ofer- "has straightforward adverbial sense" with verbs and indicates 'superiority in degree or quality' with nouns, Brinton (1988: 208) states that it frequently denotes teli city with verbs as well, e.g.: (a) oferseglian 'to cross by sailing'