Hyryn O. The History of English Reflexive Pronouns: Structural and Functional Aspects

This dissertation focuses on structural, functional and communicative features of English reflexives and the constructions in which they function during the entire period of their development. The paper highlights the sources and causes of the reflexive pronouns paradigm nonuniformity. The paper describers the main stages of the [Pronoun personal + self] structure development and definite time-frames within which the consolidation of various personal forms of reflexive pronouns took place. The dissertation defines the functions of reflexives. The main functional types of reflexive pronouns are reflexives proper, reflexive intensifiers and free reflexive anaphors. Within the intensifiers the predicative group has been defined. Sublimation is suggested as the function of reflexive intensifiers, free reflexive anaphors and occasionally of reflexives proper. The paper provides the results of the communicative analysis of the reflexive pronouns functional types. Key Words: reflexive pronoun, reflexive intensifier, free reflexive anaphor, antecedent, reference, signification, logophoricity, sublimation.