A Syntactic Basis for the Distribution of Metrical Types in Beowulf

In this article, the distribution of metrical types in Beowulf is examined in the context of several syntactic factors. Special attention is given to the functional parts of speech described in Kuhn’s Laws as Satzpartikeln (‘sentence particles’) and Satzteilpartikeln (‘phrase particles’). In the current sample, metrical type could be narrowly predicted by phrasal type, phrasal cohesiveness at the level of the half-line, and the presence or absence of verse-initial particles. These results suggest that the metrical expression of Beowulf and perhaps other Old English poems was syntactically dependent, if not syntactically governed. An important implication is that metrical changes observed in the alliterative tradition in late Old English and Middle English poems may have been caused, at least in part, by syntactic changes in English occurring around the same time.