In this chapter I will adopt the classical classification method of adverbial clauses; namely, according to their semantic roles (cf. OE: Mitchell 1985: §§2416–3721, ME: Fischer 1992: 343–361, EModE: Rissanen 1999: 304–319, PDE: Quirk et al. 1985: §§15.24–15.56).

Old English adverbial clauses: descriptive parameters

The analysis of OE adverbial clauses meets with several difficulties: some introductory elements can be used as adverbs and as conjunctions (e.g. þeah, æfter); some elements can introduce not only adverbial clauses but also clauses with other functions (e.g. þær introduces nominal relative clauses and clauses of place); some conjunctions can introduce adverbial clauses with different semantic roles (e.g. þonne introduces clauses of time and clauses of comparison); some adverbial clauses combine different semantic roles (e.g. purpose and result). These difficulties made it impossible to use an automatic search for the identification of the relevant adverbial clauses, although the set of introductory elements is finite and spelling differences could have been overcome by an appropriate routine. With the method of close reading adopted for the analysis of the subjunctive and its competitors in the construction types described in Chapters 2–4, I identified OE adverbial clauses of the following types: clauses of time, of place, of reason, of concession, of condition, of purpose and result, and of comparison. Statements about the realisations of their verbal syntagms are unfortunately rather vague.

Clauses of time

Their introductory conjunction is the variable with the strongest influence on the mood distribution in clauses of time. Behre (1934: chapter 5), Mitchell (1985: §§2530–2801), Traugott (1992: 259–261) and Wilde (1939/1940: 363–367) treat clauses of time introduced by ær apart from those introduced by other temporal conjunctions. They agree that ær-clauses favour the use of the subjunctive. Mitchell and Behre restrict the subjunctive in ær-clauses to complex sentences with affirmative matrix clauses. The other temporal conjunctions govern the indicative, unless the matrix clause contains an expression of volition mainly realised by an imperative or a subjunctive verb form. Visser's treatment of mood in temporal clauses (1963–1973: §879) is very detailed; he lists the temporal conjunctions with their mood preferences alphabetically.