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ESL forum >
Ask for help > What say you?
What say you?
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EstherLee76
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What say you?
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Hi, Can anyone enlighten me as to why old English sometimes doesnt have auxiliary verbs? For example in the Lord of the Rings, when Aragorn invites the dead to join his forces he asks "What say you?" instead of "What do you say?" And Boromir states about the ring "I care not for it" rather than "I don�t care for it." This question is mostly to satisfy my curiosity. But the issue does come up with some of my more advanced students. Thanks! Esther
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1 Jun 2019
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spinney
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As it goes, we still say "what say you?" but it is considered colloquial. I think Tolkien was using that form in a stylised way to invoke a sense of the mediaeval in his work. Looking around the internet, I found this which seems to gel with most other sites: |
1 Jun 2019
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RabbitWho
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sometimes i do wonder why we do be saying the things we do be saying, don�t you? |
4 Jun 2019
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EstherLee76
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As Sinatra said: Do be do be do! |
7 Jun 2019
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