The Rise of the Verb Happen in Middle English

Abstract:

The article discusses the field of Medieval English verbs of happening where in Middle English one can observe the gradual lexical replacement of the verbs inherited from Old English (especially (ge)limpan and befeallan) with the new English formations which used the Norse root happ-. In the late fourteenth and in the fifteenth century happe(n) and happen(en) compete, with the latter prevailing in the end. Both these verbs do not only replace their earlier counterparts in both senses of ‘to have luck to do something’ and ‘to take place’ but also have similar syntactic properties such as the tendency to appear in impersonal constructions (with the original dative subject or Experiencer) and to trigger off subject raising. However, throughout Late Middle English multiple synonymy or lexical layering of verbs of happening can be observed.