What is really meant by impersonal?: On impersonal and related terms

Abstract

One of the favourite issues in English Historical Linguistics has been that of the traditionally called impersonal verbs and constructions. In the course of time, a variety of labels have been used in the literature to refer to these constructions and/or to the verbs involved in them, namely impersonal, subjectless, quasi-impersonal, nominativeless, experiencer etc., a state of affairs which has inevitably led to considerable terminological confusion. This paper aims to review the different senses in which such labels have been used since the turn of the cen-