The Standardization of Punctuation in Early Modern English Legal Proclamations

Calle-Martín, Javier

Calle-Martín, Javier · 2017

Abstract

Punctuation is historically noted to develop from the rhetorical to the grammatical, from the speaker to the reader, the Renaissance standing out as the transitional period with the adoption of syntactic and pragmatic functions to organize the written information. This standardization is elsewhere regarded as a consequence of the introduction of Caxton's printing press in England, the increasing activity of Westminster's Royal Chancery, and a growing number of professional scriveners engaged in the writing of all sort of documents, from guild's records to private letters. The study of historical punctuation, however, has been mostly based on Old and Middle English handwritten material, literary and scientific texts in particular. Unfortunately, the Early Modern English period has been an exception with the publication of a limited number of studies investigating the scribal attitudes in different text-types, the list including scientific, legal and literary texts, drama in particular (Calle-Martín and Miranda-García 2008: 356–360). The unexplored condition of Early Modern English punctuation is even more significant in the particular case of printed texts, despite their active participation in the process of standardization. Legal material is not an exception, proclamations being “one of the most overlooked categories of printed material in the field of early modern history” (Kyle 2015: 771). In the light of this, the present study therefore analyses the punctuation system in Early Modern English printed legal material with the following objectives: a) to provide the inventory of marks of punctuation in Early Modern English printed texts; b) to offer a detailed account of the use and pragmatic functions of these symbols; and c) to assess the level of standardization of punctuation in these sources. The present study relies on The Corpus of Early Modern English Statutes (compiled by Anu Lehto at the University of Helsinki), containing approximately 214,000 words for the historical period 1491-1707 (Lehto 2013: 239). The corpus is divided into 25-year sub-periods for diachronic comparison and they have been compiled to include two proclamations for each time period, with samples printed during the reign of each sovereign. Legal material has been chosen in view of a) its orality, written to be read aloud; b) its conservativeness, hostile to individual creativity in favour of the standard practice; and c) it complex syntax, requiring a complex set of marks for all kinds of syntactic relationships. This material has allowed us to gather conclusive data to ascertain a) the existence of an inventory of punctuation marks with a preconceived set of rules, corroborating an ongoing process of specialization at that time; and b) more importantly, the historical development of particular punctuation symbols, offering grounds as to the actual rise and fall of particular symbols and their functions in the history of English. Calle-Martín, Javier and Antonio Miranda-García. 2008. “The Punctuation System of Elizabethan Legal Documents: The Case of G.U.L. MS Hunter 3 (S.1.3)”. The Review of English Studies 59: 356–378. Kyle, Chris R. 2015. “Monarch and Marketplace: Proclamations as Use in Early Modern England”. Huntington Library Quarterly 78.4: 771–787. Lehto, Anu. 2013. “Complexity and Genre Conventions: Text Structure and Coordination in Early Modern English Proclamations”. In Andreas H. Jucker, Daniela Landert, Annina Seiler and Nicole Studer-Joho (eds.). Meaning in the History of Engish. Words and Texts in Context. Amsterdam, Phil: John Benjamins. 233–257.

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The Standardization of Punctuation in Early Modern English Legal Proclamations

Author: Calle-Martín, Javier

Year: 2017

Source: https://riuma.uma.es/xmlui/bitstream/10630/13735/1/CILC_Javier%20Calle.pdf

‘His maies ie cha ge h, ha no pe son shall eng ose
any mane o co ne’. The S anda diza ion o
Punc ua ion in Ea ly Mode n English Legal
P oclama ions
Ja ie Calle-Ma ´ın∗1
1Uni e si y o M´alaga (UMA) – Facul ad de Filoso ia y Le as Depa amen o de Filolog´ıa Inglesa
Campus de Tea inos s/n M´alaga 29071, Spain
Abs ac
Punc ua ion is his o ically no ed o de elop om he he o ical o he g amma ical, om
he speake o he eade , he Renaissance s anding ou as he ansi ional pe iod wi h he
adop ion o syn ac ic and p agma ic unc ions o o ganize he w i en in o ma ion. This s an-
da diza ion is elsewhe e ega ded as a consequence o he in oduc ion o Cax on’s p in ing
p ess in England, he inc easing ac i i y o Wes mins e ’s Royal Chance y, and a g owing
numbe o p o essional sc i ene s engaged in he w i ing o all so o documen s, om guild’s
eco ds o p i a e le e s.
The s udy o his o ical punc ua ion, howe e , has been mos ly based on Old and Middle
English handw i en ma e ial, li e a y and scien i ic ex s in pa icula . Un o una ely, he
Ea ly Mode n English pe iod has been an excep ion wi h he publica ion o a limi ed num-
be o s udies in es iga ing he sc ibal a i udes in di e en ex - ypes, he lis including
scien i ic, legal and li e a y ex s, d ama in pa icula (Calle-Ma ´ın and Mi anda-Ga c´ıa
2008: 356–360). The unexplo ed condi ion o Ea ly Mode n English punc ua ion is e en
mo e signi ican in he pa icula case o p in ed ex s, despi e hei ac i e pa icipa ion in
he p ocess o s anda diza ion. Legal ma e ial is no an excep ion, p oclama ions being ”one
o he mos o e looked ca ego ies o p in ed ma e ial in he ield o ea ly mode n his o y”
(Kyle 2015: 771). In he ligh o his, he p esen s udy he e o e analyses he punc ua ion
sys em in Ea ly Mode n English p in ed legal ma e ial wi h he ollowing objec i es: a) o
p o ide he in en o y o ma ks o punc ua ion in Ea ly Mode n English p in ed ex s; b) o
o e a de ailed accoun o he use and p agma ic unc ions o hese symbols; and c) o assess
he le el o s anda diza ion o punc ua ion in hese sou ces.
The p esen s udy elies on The Co pus o Ea ly Mode n English S a u es (compiled by
Anu Leh o a he Uni e si y o Helsinki), con aining app oxima ely 214,000 wo ds o he
his o ical pe iod 1491-1707 (Leh o 2013: 239). The co pus is di ided in o 25-yea sub-pe iods
o diach onic compa ison and hey ha e been compiled o include wo p oclama ions o each
ime pe iod, wi h samples p in ed du ing he eign o each so e eign. Legal ma e ial has been
chosen in iew o a) i s o ali y, w i en o be ead aloud; b) i s conse a i eness, hos ile o
indi idual c ea i i y in a ou o he s anda d p ac ice; and c) i complex syn ax, equi ing
a complex se o ma ks o all kinds o syn ac ic ela ionships.
∗Speake
sciencescon .o g:cilc2017:129684
This ma e ial has allowed us o ga he conclusi e da a o asce ain a) he exis ence o an
in en o y o punc ua ion ma ks wi h a p econcei ed se o ules, co obo a ing an ongoing
p ocess o specializa ion a ha ime; and b) mo e impo an ly, he his o ical de elopmen
o pa icula punc ua ion symbols, o e ing g ounds as o he ac ual ise and all o pa icula
symbols and hei unc ions in he his o y o English.
Calle-Ma ´ın, Ja ie and An onio Mi anda-Ga c´ıa. 2008. ”The Punc ua ion Sys em o
Elizabe han Legal Documen s: The Case o G.U.L. MS Hun e 3 (S.1.3)”. The Re iew o
English S udies 59: 356–378.
Kyle, Ch is R. 2015. ”Mona ch and Ma ke place: P oclama ions as Use in Ea ly Mod-
e n England”. Hun ing on Lib a y Qua e ly 78.4: 771–787.
Leh o, Anu. 2013. ”Complexi y and Gen e Con en ions: Tex S uc u e and Coo dina ion
in Ea ly Mode n English P oclama ions”. In And eas H. Jucke , Daniela Lande , Annina
Seile and Nicole S ude -Joho (eds.). Meaning in he His o y o Engish. Wo ds and Tex s
in Con ex . Ams e dam, Phil: John Benjamins. 233–257.
Keywo ds: Ea ly Mode n English, p oclama ions, punc ua ion, s anda diza ion