Abstract

In Old Irish phrases consisting of cen ‚without‘ and the accusative of the verbal noun can be used as free adverbials expressing negative attendant circumstances. These can develop various other adverbial connotations including a conditional one, especially in the context of prohibitions or negative evaluations. Such conditional cen-phrases come to be used as complement clauses after evaluative predicates in the matrix clause. This construction is well attested in Old Irish texts, whereas the use of cen-phrases as complements of other types of matrix predicates is a Middle Irish development.