Composite Predicates: An Examination of Three Arthurian Works

Kiyokazu Mizobata

Composite predicates, which usually appear in the word order of Verb + Noun + (Prep.), evolved gradually in the Middle English period and have made a remarkable development in the Modern English period.

In this paper I have examined the alliterative Morte Arthure, the Winchester MS (The Tale of the Noble King Arthur and the Emperor Lucius) and Book V in Caxton’s Morte Darthur in order to see the development of composite predicates and the influence of French on them. As a result, I have found that the composite predicates found in the alliterative Morte Arthure are poorly developed as compared with those found in the other two works and that the composite predicates of Book V are most strongly influenced by French. On the basis of the results of my examination I have discussed the relations between the alliterative Morte Arthure, The Tale of the Noble King Arthur and the Emperor Lucius and Book V.