Some Remarks on Early Modern English : Shakespearian Grammar

This paper briefly examines interesting anomalies found in Early Modern English (EME) (Shakespeare) and attempts to show just how those areas of language which, historically, remain prone to malformation and misanalyses, come to represent non-standard language structures. If, as has been advanced in current theories of syntax, functional/parameterized words are (i) highly variable, (ii) abstract (holding to a lesser degree of saliency) and (iii) are therefore prone to language change, then it should be of no surprise to us that such functional words/parameterizations may remain influx and open to error for a certain amount of time in earlier historical grammars of English.

Keywords: Early Modern English, Shakespearian grammar, Syntax, Parameters.