Binomials in Epistolary and Legal Documents
Akinobu Tani · 2025
This chapter examines the use of binomials in the Signet Letters of Henry V ( Signet ) and the Paston Letters and Papers . In Signet , the frequency of binomials is low, which can be attributed to the nature of the letters. The predominant etymological type of binomials in Signet is Romance+Romance, likely due to the prevalence of French loanwords in the administrative vocabulary of the time. In contrast, the Paston Letters and Papers consist of epistolary and legal texts written by three generations of the Paston family, a prominent gentry family in Norfolk. This collection of texts provides a valuable opportunity to analyze binomials in different text types. The analysis compares binomials in epistolary and legal texts, taking into account the known writers of the letters and legal documents, as well as their gender and generation. The comparison reveals interesting differences in the use of binomials according to text type, gender, and generation. Additionally, tvariations arise depending on individual differences and on the societal relationship between addressers and addressees. However, text type exerts a stronger impact on the usage of binomials than other factors.