I lately lost a preposition

[Mark Mandel]

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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