[Ads-l] An Ode to Whom (Gone Hence, but Whither?)

[Paul A Johnston, Jr.]

We have "him" too, and the "them" of "in them days".  Both are from OE datives.  And I'm not even counting archaisms like "whilom" which was a dative used adverbially.

Paul Johnston

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Monday, February 9, 2015 12:07:29 PM
> Subject: Re: An Ode to Whom (Gone Hence, but Whither?)
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: An Ode to Whom (Gone Hence, but Whither?)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> At 2/9/2015 08:40 AM, guy1656 at centurylink.net wrote:
> >Isn't "whom" and it's derived words all we have left of the dative
> >in
> >English?
> >
> >Related question: Do 'hence, hither, whence, and whither' still mark
> >accusative (if they ever did?)
> 
> 
> Hence, hither, whence, and whither,
> Put me all in a dither.
> And as for the use of whom,
> It seems to have left the room.
> 
> Philolingua.
> 
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