I lately lost a preposition

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Sun Feb 10 02:28:22 UTC 2008


I thought "proceeded DD" was a case of lost preposition just like the
"agreed"s previously on this chain.

"Iraqi leaders finally agree a draft constitution" = "agreed to a"
"Hall proceeded DD in 1596" = "proceeded to a" [Doctor of Divinity]

Joel

At 2/9/2008 08:32 PM, Mark Mandel wrote:
>Quick Google search seems to confirm. Most hits seem to be from Google
>Books, and from British sources. There are zero (relevant) hits, though,
>with PhD and DLitt, which combined with the dates -- without looking
>closely, I got the impression these were only through the 19th century --
>suggests that the expression is not used for current degrees.
>
>64 for "proceeded DD"
>
>about 8,510 for "proceeded MA"
>
>about 6,550 for "proceeded BA".
>
>Note the following snippets from JSTOR -- same access-down problem with
>seeing more of the relevant text:
>
>JSTOR: The Alienated Intellectuals of Early Stuart England
>In the first five years of Elizabeth's reign only 54 men a year proceeded
>B.A. at Cambridge. Thirty years later this number had grown tO I77 a year.
>...
>links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-2746(196211)23%3C25%3ATAIOES%3E2.0.CO%3B2-%23-
>
>JSTOR: Spenser's Morrell and Thomalin
>Meanwhile, the Vice-chancellor should not allow Cartwright to proceed D.D.
>at the ensuing commencement, for he is not only guilty of the present
>singularity ...
>links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0030-8129(194712)62%3A4%3C936%3ASMAT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K-
>
>The second one in particular suggests that it refers to being achieving the
>degree rather than being admitted  to the course of study for it, which
>seemed a possible alternative.
>
>AND THEREFORE... the DNB quotation is not a case of dropped preposition, or
>British D.O. vs. US prepositional object, but a meaning that doesn't occur
>in the US at all, with its own valency.
>
>m a m
>
>On Feb 9, 2008 8:16 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Could "proceed" here be a UK university usage for something like "earn [a
> > degree]", possibly deriving from the academic procession? My access to OED
> > Online is down at the moment, and so am I (downstairs, that is,
> and my print
> > OEDs are upstairs).
> >
> > m a m
> >
> > On Feb 9, 2008 7:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Sorry!  I thought everyone knew Joseph Hall (1574--1656), Bishop of
> > > Exeter, controversial minister, and prolific author of both satires
> > > and religious works.  Much republished.
> > >
> > > DD here is Doctor of Divinity, to which he proceeded some time after
> > > his Bachelor's and ordination.
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > > At 2/9/2008 05:16 PM, Mark Mandel wrote:
> > > >What is DD? If it's someone's initials, isn't this a slip for
> > > "preceded"?
> > > >
> > > >On Feb 7, 2008 9:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >  From the Dictionary of National Biography (recent print edition):
> > > > >
> > > > > "[Joseph] Hall proceeded DD in ...".
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Mark Mandel
>
>
>
>
>--
>Mark Mandel
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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