160 Epistemic Parentheticals
As we saw above, in Old English we fi nd adverbial clauses with fi rst- person
know - verbs introduced by þæs (þe) ‘as, thus’ (see examples in 23). Similar
adverbial clauses are found in Middle English, introduced by as and occa-
sionally so, as fer as meaning ‘as, in so far as.’ The MED (s.v. as (conj.), def.
7) notes that as may be used “in parenthetic clauses offering a comment, an
illustration, an explanation, an appeal to the person addressed, etc.”:
(25) a. “For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse .” (1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT D.Sum. 2259)
‘For thirteen is a convent, as I guess’
b. “She hath ynough to doone, hardyly,/ To wynnen from hire fader, so trowe I .”
(1380– 86 Chaucer, TC V 1124– 25)
‘She has enough to do, assuredly, to get away from her father, so I believe’
c. But, as I gesse , Alla was not so nyce ... (1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT B.ML 1088)
‘but, as I guess, Alla was not so foolish ...’
d. F o r , as I trowe , this been causes two/ That causen moost a gentil herte wo.
(1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT F.Sq. 451– 52)
‘For, as I believe, there are two causes that most cause a gentle heart woe’
e. He was that tyme in Geminis, as I gesse ,/ But litel fro his declynacion ...
(1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT E.Mch. 2222– 23)
‘He was at that time in Gemini, as I guess, but little from his declination ...’
f. “Ther is no wight that woot, I trowe so ,/ Where it bycometh” (1380– 86
Chaucer, TC II 796– 97)
‘There is no person who knows, as I believe, what happens to it’
g. Of which to telle in short is myn entente/ Th’effect, as fer as I kan under-
stonde. (1380– 86 Chaucer, TC II 1219– 20)
‘Of which to tell in short is my intent the effect, as far as I can understand’
Adverbial clauses also occur with impersonal verbs :^29
(26) a. “Swich thyng is gladsom, as it thynketh me .” (1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT
B.NP 2778)
‘Such a thing is pleasing, as it seems to me’
b. “Thyne eyen daswen eek, as that me thynketh ...” (1387– 1400 Chaucer,
CT H.Mcp. 31)
‘Your eyes daze also, as it seems to me ...’
Thus, the rise of parentheticals seems to be heavily infl uenced by the exis-
tence of adverbial clauses with as or so , which can be traced back to Old
English. In this view, the development of parentheticals without as or so
involves simple deletion of the adverbial subordinator, e.g.:
“For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse.” > “For thrittene is a covent, I gesse.”29 Fischer ( 2007a : 105, 2007b : 303) notes that the it and that dummy subjects could not be
explained here if these were analyzed as relative clauses (since as would be the subject) (see
note 23), though they resemble the “merged” forms with optional it noted by Quirk et al.
( 1985 : 1116), e.g., as (it) often happens , as I understand (it).