1.4 Pathways for Development 19(8) a. matrix clause : You know that I am not fretful, peevish, or sullen, or cold
(1822 Neal, Logan: A family history [ The corpus of historical American
English (COHA)])
b. matrix clause/ parenthetical : You know Ø I was forced to quit it hastily.
(1817 Barker, How to try a lover [COHA])
c. parenthetical : No one can have a right to be acquainted with my private
affairs, you know. (1815 Humphreys, The Yankey in England [COHA])^21
Comment clauses that are imperative in form (e.g., mind you , say , see , look
(you) , let’s ) may also derive from main clauses, but in this case they are fol-
lowed by an imperative or interrogative clause as well as a that - clause, as in
the following:
(9) a. Mind that you don’t look at the rich folks’ ways! (1871 Ward, The silent
partner [COHA])
b. Mind Ø you don’t hinder anybody. (1883 Booth, Godliness [COHA])
c. It wasn’t murder, mind you , it was in self- defence; (1886 Alcott, Jo’s boys
[COHA])
Note that derivation in the case of mind you or look you (see Brinton 2006 : Ch.
8) also involves rebracketing, in which the subject of the subordinate clause is
adjoined to the matrix clause: [mind] [(that) you don’t look at the rich folks’
ways] > [mind you] [don’t look at the rich folks’ ways].
A number of studies have applied the proposal of Thompson and Mulac to
diachronic data, in large part, I think, because of its intuitive appeal. For exam-
ple, main- clause origins have been suggested for the following parentheticals
(see Brinton 2006 : 37– 41, 2010 for a summary):
- methinks / I think ( López- Couso 1996 ; Aijmer 1997 ; Palander- Collin 1996 ,
1997 , 1999 ; Wischer 2000 ; see Section 5.3 ); - pray (you/ thee) / prithee ( Akimoto 2000 ; Traugott and Dasher 2002 : 252– 255);
- I’m afraid ( Akimoto 2002 );
- I’m sorry ( Molina 2011 );
- I promise ( Traugott and Dasher 2002 : 206– 209); and
- you know / see/ say ( Fitzmaurice 2004 ; cf. Brinton 2006 ).
Brinton ( 2006 ) explores the legitimacy of the matrix clause hypothesis for a
variety of comment clauses in English; of the eleven forms examined in the
study, only in four cases ( I say , I daresay , I see , and possibly I gather ) did the
historical data support the matrix clause hypothesis. In the other cases exam-
ined ( I fi nd , I mean , you say , you say , say , see , look ), the rarity of the source
construction, i.e., the matrix clause with that - full complement, followed by the
21 On the earlier and later history of you know , see Brinton ( 1996 : 206– 209) and Fitzmaurice
( 2004 ), respectively; on its semantic development, see Beeching ( 2016 : 116– 124).