21.3778, Disc: Of 'of': Expressing Possession and Being Possessed

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LINGUIST List: Vol-21-3778. Sat Sep 25 2010. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 21.3778, Disc: Of 'of': Expressing Possession and Being Possessed

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1)
Date: 19-Sep-2010
From: Rob Aulak < robaulak at gmail.com >
Subject: Of 'of': Expressing Possession and Being Possessed
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 23:01:11
From: Rob Aulak [robaulak at gmail.com]
Subject: Of 'of': Expressing Possession and Being Possessed

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To whom it may concern,

I would like to discuss changes made to the definition of 'of' in the 
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) from the 1989 edition to the 2010 
edition. Below are 2 discussion topics regarding 2 changes to the 
definitions of 'of' that I believe are significant:


Discussion Topic 1:

This was the definition of 'of' from the 1989 edition of the OED:

XIV. In the sense belonging or pertaining to; expressing possession 
and its converse: 'the owner of the house', 'the house of the owner'.

Formerly expressed by the genitive, and still to some extent by the 
possessive case (with transposition of order). The use of 'of' began in 
Old English with senses 47, 48, expressing origin. After the Norman 
Conquest the example of the French 'de', which had taken the place of 
the L. genitive, caused the gradual extension of 'of' to all uses in which 
Old English had the genitive; the purely possessive sense was the last 
to be so affected, and it is that in which the genitive or 'possessive' 
case is still chiefly used. Thus, we say the King's English, in preference 
to the English of the King; but the King of England in preference to 
England's King, which is not natural or ordinary prose English.

I went on-line and found the September 2010 revision:

X. Expressing possession and being possessed 
Eg 'the owner of the house', 'the house of the owner'. Generally 
regarded as one of the central uses of the word.

Formerly expressed by the genitive case, and still to some extent by 
the genitive of nouns (especially proper names) and possessive 
adjectives (with transposition of order). The use of 'of' began in Old 
English with senses 33, 34, expressing origin. After the Norman 
Conquest the example of the French 'de', which had taken the place of 
the Latin genitive, caused the gradual extension of of to all uses in 
which Old English had the genitive; the purely possessive sense was 
the last to be so affected, and it is that in which the genitive or 
'possessive' case is still chiefly used. Thus, we say the King's English, 
in preference to the English of the King; but the King of England in 
preference to England's King, which is not natural or ordinary prose 
English.

The 'pertaining to' condition has been removed and the choice of 
words condensed to 'Expressing possession and being possessed'
along with the comment 'Generally regarded as one of the central uses 
of the word,' is, in my opinion, significant.

Could somebody please help me interpret the difference between:

#1) Formerly expressed by the genitive, and still to some extent by the 
possessive case (with transposition of order).
 
#2) Formerly expressed by the genitive case, and still to some extent 
by the genitive of nouns (especially proper names) and possessive 
adjectives (with transposition of order).


Discussion Topic 2:

I'd like to highlight another change below:

1989 OED version:
50. Belonging to a thing, as something related in a way defined or 
implied by its nature where the its refers to the 'something' that belongs 
to the thing.
 
And the 2010 OED on-line definition of 'of' which reads:
36. Belonging to a thing, as a logical consequence of its nature.
 
The 'something' that was mentioned in the earlier definition has been 
strategically removed and been replaced by 'a logical consequence of' 
the thing's nature.
 
In my opinion, by not mentioning the 'something' of the earlier 
definition, valuable information has been lost concerning the intricate 
nature of the relationship between this word and the thought it is 
intended to convey in that context, though it could be argued that this 
is a matter of grammar and not one of definition the change itself 
seems to me to be overly strategic.

The two OED editions then go on to give the same examples:
 e.g. the cause, effect, origin, reason, result of; the correlative, 
counterpart, match, opposite, original of; a copy, derivative, image, 
likeness of; the square, cube, logarithm, tangent, differential, or other 
mathematical function of. See under these words.
 
Grouped as follows:
#1) the cause, effect, origin, reason, result of;
#2) the correlative, counterpart, match, opposite, original of;
#3) a copy, derivative, image, likeness of;
#4) the square, cube, logarithm, tangent, differential, or other   
mathematical function of.
 
Could you please contact me with your thoughts about this particular 
change in the definition of 'of,' as it relates to group #4.

Yours respectfully,
Rob 


Linguistic Field(s): Lexicography

Subject Language(s): English (eng)





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