Information on the thesis

The thesis is focused on the complex study of the negation dynamics in the English
language  of  VII-XVII cc.  in  diachronic  and  synchronic  aspects.  A  logic-philosophical
background  is  presented  in  the  work.  The  etymology  of  negation  units  is  established,
negative structures are revealed, their quantitative and qualitative changes are defined, the
negative  proclitic  constituent  in  the  verb  structure  of  the  Old  English  Language  is
investigated.  The  functional-semantic  paradigms  of  negation  are  modeled  in  each
historical  period  of  English,  the  lexical-semantic  fields  are  structured,  the  semantic-
functional characteristics of negation are highlighted. Three negation paradigms and their
dominants are differentiated: in the system of the English language and the structure of the
texts in three periods.
Negation  in  the  English  language  of  VII-XVII  cc.  is  expressed  by  the  dominant
negative particle (preverbal adverb), negative pronouns, negative adverbs and verbs with
the negative proclitic element which are used to negate some actions and human beings’
physical  abilities.  Some  important  changes  take  place  in  the  sentence  negation  in  the
transitional  period  from  Old  English  (wan-,  un-,  mis-,for-,wip-,  gain-,-læs,  ne,  næs,  no,
næfre,  nalles,  nealles,  nis,  nænig)  into  Middle  English  (un-,mis-,for-,-læs,  no,  nat,  ne,
never,  nevere,  noon,  neither,  nothyng,  nowher,  not).  Negative  means  are  used  in  the
predicate structure, object, adverbial modifier of time, place and direction, condition. In
Early Modern English, there is a paradigm of negation including un-, in-, il-, ir-, im-, mis-,
-less, not, no, nor, none, never, nothing, neither, after the loss of  particle ne, there is a
tendency to shift the negative unit not from the preposition to the postposition of the verb.
It can be explained by the speaker /author’s intention to stress the negative meaning of the
sentence.  This  trend  can  be  proved  by  the  general  transposition  of  the  adverbs  in  the
sentence pattern.
The  investigation  has  broad  perspectives  for  a  further  research  of  markers  of
negation  –  the  analysis  of  functional,  semantic  and  pragmatic  potential  of  negation  in
Early Old English and Late Old English, Early Middle English and Late Middle English,
Early Modern English and Present-Day English in various registers of the discourse.
Key words: category, negation, means of negation, diachronic and synchronic aspects,
etymology, functional-semantic paradigm, dominant.