98
Modern English Only and If Only
(2) a. The system knew my name. I’d made it. Only , I couldn’t feel excited about
that (2010 Torgersen, Outbound [COCA])
b. and fi nally, just about the time I thought I was going to strain my guts out,
up come that bag. Only it wasn’t just the bag. (2012 Lansdale, Edge of dark
water [COCA])
c. Her voice shrank. “Now it is, only they say there’s something wrong with the
baby.” (2012 Delinsky, Escape [COCA])
d. Chloe’s dress was a white version of theirs, only instead of stopping at the
knee, it fl ared out like a mermaid’s tail all the way to the fl oor. (2012 Jordan,
Night games [COCA])
e. This time all the chatter is about health care, only it’s so loud it’s likely to start
a debate with the neighbors. (2012 Meinyczuk, Walk with us [COCA])
This chapter explores the meaning, function, and status of conjunctive only
in Present- day English ( Section 4.2 ), arguing that it can be seen as a prag-
matic marker. The chapter then turns to the historical development of only from
focusing adverb to conjunction to pragmatic marker ( Section 4.3 ). Grammars
cite examples of conjunctive only from the nineteenth century:
(3) a. Is anything the matter with my Madeline? – No, papa, only I have got a head-
ache (1862 Trollope, Orley farm II, Ch. III [Curme 1931 : 324])
b. In the end it will prevail; only we must have patience (1883 Arnold, Mixed
Essays “Falkland” [Williams 1895 : 132])
c. Such artifi ces, indeed, were not unknown in the old Provençal poetry ...
Only , in Rossetti at least, they are redeemed by a serious purpose ... (1889
Pater, Appreciations pp. 233– 34 [Williams 1895 : 132])
d. It is intended to stop all debate, like the previous question in the General
Court. Only it don’t (1894 Holmes, The autocrat of the breakfast- table
[ Webster’s : s.v. only , 2])
However, corpus evidence suggests an earlier origin. The grammatical-
ization of only as a pragmatic marker is compared to the similar develop-
ment of but. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the related form
if only ( Section 4.4 ), which can function as an independent pragmatic
marker. If only develops from an “insubordinated” clause through a pro-
cess of ellipsis.
4.2 Conjunctive Only in Present- Day English
4.2.1 ‘Adversative’ vs. ‘Exceptive’ Uses
In the conjunctive uses exemplifi ed in (1)– (3), only has an ‘adversative’ sense
equivalent to the typical use of but as an “adversative conjunction, append-
ing a statement contrary to, or incompatible with, one that is negatived [sic]”
(OED: s.v. but , prep., adv., conj, n.^3 , adj., and pron., def. 23).