LECTURE 5LECTURE 5

Middle English:Middle English:language (I)language (I)

Lei ZHULei ZHUShanghai International Studies Shanghai International Studies

UniversityUniversity

ISTORY OF ISTORY OF ENGLISHENGLISH

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway- ON influence- reduction and loss of unstressed syllables

The Peterborough Chronicle for AD 1137

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway- ON influence- reduction and loss of unstressed syllables

I ne can ne I ne mai tellen alle þe I not know not I not may tell all thewunder ne alle þe pines ðat hi diden wreccemen on þis land. & ðat lastehorrors not all the pains that they did wretched-men in this land & that lastedde þa .xix. wintre wile Stephne was king & æure it was uuerse & the 19 winters while Stephen was king and ever it was worse anduuerse. worse

The Peterborough Chronicle for AD 1137

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway1. Reduction of lexical elements

ic > ihit > ithie > hikyning > kingealle þa wundor > alle þe wund

er

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway2. Reduction of inflections (levelling)

ealle þa pinas > alle þe pinesxix wintra > xix wintretellan > tellendydon > diden

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway3. Loss of inflections

on þissum lande > on þis land

1 From OE to ME

• Changes already underway4. Reduction of inflection variety

wreccum mannum > wrecce menDat.pl. Nom.pl/Dat.plfor ure synna > for ure sinnes

pinas > pinesregularisation

1 From OE to ME

• The Norman Conquest (1066)

wuccena. & ænne dæg & her weeks & one day & hermlxvi. Her forðferde eaduuard king. & harold eorl feng to ðam rice. & heold hit .xl.1066 Her died Edward king & Harold earl seized the kingdom & held it 40cō willelm & gewann ænglaland.came William & conquered England

The Parker Chronicle for AD 1066

the the VikingsVikings

Old Norman Old Norman French;French;Old Northern Old Northern French;French;Old NormanOld Norman

Anglo-Norman;Anglo-Norman;Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman

FrenchFrench

1 From OE to ME

• The “revival” of English (13th cen. –)- Loss of Normandy to France

(1204)- Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)- The Black Death (mid-14th cen.)

The Triumph of Death (c. 1562) by Pieter Bruegel

Sumer is icumen in,Lhude sing cuccu!Groweþ sed and bloweþ medAnd springþ þe wde nu,Sing cuccu!Awe bleteþ after lomb,Lhouþ after calue cu.Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ,Murie sing cuccu!Cuccu, cuccu, wel singes þu cuccu;Ne swik þu nauer nu.Pes:Sing cuccu nu. Sing cuccu.Sing cuccu. Sing cuccu nu!Latin:Perspice χ icola (Christicola) ρ̅:que dignacio Celicus agricola pro vitis vicio Filio non parcens exposuit mortis exicio Qui captivos semiuiuos a supplicio Vite donat et secum coronat in celi solio (c. 1250)

Summer has arrived,Loudly sing, Cuckoo!The seed grows and the meadow bloomsAnd the wood springs anew,Sing, Cuckoo!The ewe bleats after the lambThe cow lows after the calf.The bullock stirs, the stag farts,Merrily sing, Cuckoo!Cuckoo, cuckoo, well you sing, cuckoo;Don't ever you stop now,Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo.Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now!

Latin:Observe, Christian, such honour! The heavenly farmer, owing to a defect in the vine, not sparing the Son, exposed him to the destruction of death. To the captives half-dead from torment, He gives them life and crowns them with himself on the throne of heaven.

Hanc rotam cantare possunt quatuor socij. A paucioribus autem quam a tribus uel saltem duobus non debet dici, preter eos qui dicunt pedem. Cantatur autem sic: Tacentibus cetertis unus inchoat cum hiis qui tenent pedem. Et cum uenerit ad primam notam post crucem, inchoat alius, et sic de ceteris. Singuli uero repausent ad pausaciones scriptas et non alibi, spacio unius longe note.

2 ME dialects

• “Gret diversite”“Go, litel bok, go, litel myn tragedye…And ther is so gret diversiteIn Englissh and in writyng of oure tonge,So prey I God that non myswrite the,Ne the mysmetre for defaute of tonge;And red wherso thow be, or elles songe,That thow be understonde, God I biseche!”

(G. Chaucer: Troilus and Criseyde, V. 1786-98)

South Eastern

Southern

North

West Midland

East Midland

ME

Kentish

West Saxon

Northumbrian

Anglian

Mercian

OE

Middle English dialects

Isogloss 同言线

3 Paleography

• Book hand ( 楷书 )regular; letters formed separately

• Court / Charter / Business hand ( 行书 )cursive; letters joined together

Cf. 甲骨文 --- 金文 --- 篆书 --- 隶书 --- 章草 --- 今草 --- 狂草 oracle bone bronze seal clerical regulated modern wild inscription inscription script script cursive cursive cursive

楷书 --- 行书 standard running script script

3 Paleography

• Book hand

3 Paleography

• Book handCaroline minuscule

> text hand textura

Gothic

3 Paleography

• Book handCaroline minuscule

> text hand textura

Gothic

3 Paleography

• Court handAnglicana

3 PaleographyBlow northerne wynd / sent

þou me my suetyng / blow darlingNorþerne wynd blou blou blou.

Ichot a burde in boure bryhtI-know girl bower brightþat sully semly is on syht wonderfully seemly sightmenskful maiden of myht noble mightfeir ant fre to fondefair free knowIn al þis wurhliche won splendid worlda burde of blod & of bon blood boneneuer yete y nuste non yet I not-knowlussomore in londe // blow … lovelier

3 Paleography

• Bastard Anglicana

3 Paleography

• Special letters1. “ ” (ʒ yogh) was distinct from “g”, and pronounced [j]; sometimes, it was also used for [z].2. “r” was written as “ ” sometimes.3. Some people kept using “þ” and/or “ð”; some replaced them with “th”; some wrote used “ ” for “þ”; some used “y” for “þ” (so that “ye”=“þe”, and yt”=“þat”).

3 Paleography

• Special lettersAN preost wes on a priest was in

leoden: La amonʒ

land Layamon

wes ihoten. He wes was called he was

leouenaðes sone: Leovenath’s son

liðe him beo drihtē.gracious to-him be Lord