Dan en want: hun functie en betekenis in zeventiende-eeuws taalgebruik.

Abstract

This article shows that in the course of time lexicologists and grammarians have assigned different interpretations of function and meaning to the Dutch words dan and want in historical texts. These interpretations mostly concern literary and official usage. This makes it interesting to know what the functions and meanings of dan and want are if these words are used in non-literary texts. The research described here takes place on the basis is based on seventeenth-century letters by people who were not used to wielding the pen. I will demonstrate that different dates must be assigned to certain changes in function and meaning of these words. Furthermore, it will become clear that the Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal needs to be supplemented as far as the conjunction dan with a coordinated function is concerned.