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The history of dare and the status of unidirectionality
Abstract
In this article the historical development of the English semimodal verb dare will be presented in the light of the grammaticalization of the other English modal verbs. In a current version of Chomsky's principles-and-parameters framework we will investigate the morphosyntactic aspects of this process. Assuming that the modals in Old English are verbs that are generated in VP and subsequently move to a functional position, it will be argued that at the end of the Middle English period they were reanalyzed as functional elements generated in that same position. On the basis of the development of dare , which split into an auxiliary and a main verb, we will argue that grammaticalization is not necessarily a unidirectional process of language change. It characterizes the elimination of its synchronic instantiation, syntactic movement, and may bring about both grammatical and lexical elements.
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“Beths (1999) traces dare back to Old English (durran), meaning personal courage and defiance.”
From Social media challenges as an intersection between Internet memes and traditional challenges: a conceptual analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Beths, 1999
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“A dare is typically an impulsive, peer-driven test of courage, whereas a challenge is structured and goal-oriented, testing skills or endurance.”
From Social media challenges as an intersection between Internet memes and traditional challenges: a conceptual analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Beths, 1999
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Metadata
- Authors
- Beths, F.
- Corresponding author
- Beths, Frank
- Venue
- Linguistics
- Publisher
- Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- Published
- 1999-01-01
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 6
- ISSN
- 0024-3949 (ISSN-L)
- 1613-396X
- OpenAlex
- W1978957813
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 25 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 14.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Linguistics (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistics and language evolution
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Historical Linguistics and Language Studies
- Keywords
- DARE, grammaticalization, modal verbs, unidirectionality, Principles and Parameters, syntactic movement, auxiliary verbs, Old English, Middle English, functional elements, morphosyntax
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