{"product_id":"9783032056849","title":"The Early History of they Forms, Functions and Etymology","description":"\u003ch3\u003eNew Approaches to English Historical Linguistics\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eThe Early History of they\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eForms, Functions and Etymology\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eMarcelle Cole\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage Arts \u0026amp; Disciplines \/ Linguistics \/ Historical \u0026amp; Comparative\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book challenges the long-held theory that the English pronouns \u003cem\u003ethey, their, them\u003c\/em\u003e are loanwords from Old Norse, arguing instead that the pronouns ultimately derive from the Old English demonstratives \u003cem\u003eþā – þāra – þām\u003c\/em\u003e. Based on the most comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis yet published of third-person plural personal pronoun usage in early English, the study presents evidence of morphosyntactic and phonological continuity from Old to Middle English, particularly in the northern and (south)western dialects. It concludes that contact with Old Norse primarily reinforced existing native developments rather than introducing entirely new forms, thus highlighting the complex interplay of internal linguistic evolution and language contact that combined to shape \u003cem\u003ethey, their, them\u003c\/em\u003e. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Historical Linguistics, Language Variation and Change, Language Contact, as well as readers interested in the history of the English language.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarcelle Cole\u003c\/strong\u003e is Assistant Professor of English Historical Linguistics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Her area of expertise covers language variation and change in Old and Middle English, particularly Old Northumbrian and Northern Middle English. She is the author of \u003cem\u003eOld Northumbrian Verbal Morphosyntax and the (Northern) Subject Rule\u003c\/em\u003e (2014).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 May 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSpringer Nature Switzerland\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePalgrave Macmillan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9783032056849\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e202\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Springer Nature Switzerland","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44395562664076,"sku":"9783032056849","price":49.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9783032056849.jpg?v=1781060387","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9783032056849","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}