ME GrammarME Grammar

Noun, pronoun, adjectiveNoun, pronoun, adjective

NounNoun

CaseCase GenderGender DeclensionDeclension

Case systemCase system

fiscasfiscas (OE Nom/Acc. Plural of a- (OE Nom/Acc. Plural of a-stem)stem)

fishesfishes (ME Nom/Acc. Plural but also (ME Nom/Acc. Plural but also Genitive and Dative)Genitive and Dative)

OE OE Early MEEarly ME

1066 - 13001066 - 1300 Late ME1300 - Late ME1300 -

late1400slate1400s

NominativeNominative CommonCommon CommonCommon

AccusativeAccusative

DativeDative DativeDative

GenitiveGenitive GenitiveGenitive GenitiveGenitive

OE OE –es–es ending (a-stem Sing., Gen., ending (a-stem Sing., Gen., M/N)M/N)

Possessive case:Possessive case:

Arthur his men – Arthur’s menArthur his men – Arthur’s men HisHis→→ is is →→ - s - s

Question on ME phoneticsQuestion on ME phonetics

Variant 1Variant 1 1) How did the pronunciation of the 1) How did the pronunciation of the

following stressed OE vowels change following stressed OE vowels change in ME: [ā], [æ:], [æ], [in ME: [ā], [æ:], [æ], [üü]?]?

Variant 2Variant 2 1) Which new diphthongs appeared 1) Which new diphthongs appeared

as the result of vocalization of [w, as the result of vocalization of [w, , , ’’]?]?

Question on ME phoneticsQuestion on ME phonetics

Variant 1Variant 1 2) What was the general tendency in 2) What was the general tendency in

the development of the OE the development of the OE diphthongs?diphthongs?

Variant 2Variant 2 2) How did the spelling of the OE 2) How did the spelling of the OE

words words cēcēpan, pan, ccīld, cīld, cuumen men change?change?

Variant 1Variant 1 3) In which position did the stressed 3) In which position did the stressed

OE vowels become long in ME?OE vowels become long in ME? Variant 2Variant 2 3) In which position did the stressed 3) In which position did the stressed

OE vowels become short in ME?OE vowels become short in ME?

The AdjectiveThe Adjective

It lost all its grammatical categories It lost all its grammatical categories with the exception of the degrees of with the exception of the degrees of comparison. comparison.

The agreement of the adjective with The agreement of the adjective with the noun was practically lost during the noun was practically lost during ME.ME.

The 1The 1stst category to disappear was category to disappear was gender, which ceased to be gender, which ceased to be distinguished in the 11distinguished in the 11thth century. century.

The category of number was The category of number was expressed with the ending –eexpressed with the ending –e

The distinctions of strong and weak The distinctions of strong and weak declension is only obvious in the declension is only obvious in the singularsingular

Strong – Strong – ggoodood, Weak – , Weak – goodegoode By the XV the ending By the XV the ending –e–e disappeared disappeared The adjective turned into an The adjective turned into an

uninflected part of speech. uninflected part of speech.

Degrees of comparisonDegrees of comparison

OE OE –ra –ra ME ME –re –re → → –er –er OE –OE –est/ -ost est/ -ost ME –ME –estest The only adjective with the root The only adjective with the root

vowel interchange in ME is ‘old’vowel interchange in ME is ‘old’ A new means for the formation of the A new means for the formation of the

degrees of comparison – analytical: degrees of comparison – analytical: with the help of ‘more’ and ‘most’. with the help of ‘more’ and ‘most’.

PronounPronoun

Personal pronounsPersonal pronouns the loss of dual numberthe loss of dual number The genitive case > possessive The genitive case > possessive

pronounspronouns Accusative + Dative = Objective Accusative + Dative = Objective

hēohēo (3rd, Sing, Fem.) (3rd, Sing, Fem.) sheshe theythey with its oblique forms with its oblique forms them, them,

theirtheir my (+cons.), myn(+vowel). my (+cons.), myn(+vowel).

Case Singular Plural

1 Person

2 Person 3 Person

1 Person

2 Person

3 Person

Masc. Femin. Neut.

Common

ic/ich>i >I

thou He she hit we ye hi, they

Objective

me thee him here hit us you hem

Demonstrative pronounsDemonstrative pronouns

In Early ME the OE demonstrative In Early ME the OE demonstrative pronouns lost most of their inflected pronouns lost most of their inflected forms.forms.

This/thatThis/that This – thise (thes(e))This – thise (thes(e)) That – tho (thos(e))That – tho (thos(e))

InterrogativeInterrogative

The paradigm of The paradigm of hwhwā ā Who (Nom.)Who (Nom.) Whom (Objective)Whom (Objective) The genitive case of The genitive case of hwhwā – hwæs, ā – hwæs,

developed into a separate developed into a separate interrogative pronoun interrogative pronoun whosewhose

OE OE hwihwi (instrumental case) – ME (instrumental case) – ME hwyhwy

Indefinite pronounsIndefinite pronouns

Most indefinite pronouns of the OE Most indefinite pronouns of the OE period simplified their morphological period simplified their morphological structure and some of them fell out of structure and some of them fell out of useuse

OE OE ǣƷhwelc – ME eechǣƷhwelc – ME eech OE þyslic – ME suchOE þyslic – ME such OEOE n nān-þinƷ – ME nothingān-þinƷ – ME nothing OE OE demonstrativedemonstrative and and interrogativeinterrogative

pronouns became a source of a new pronouns became a source of a new type of pronouns -type of pronouns - relative relative

Development of articlesDevelopment of articles

The The definite article developed on the definite article developed on the basis of dbasis of demonstrative pronouns emonstrative pronouns ssē, ē, ssēo, ēo, þætþæt..

In OE they were used as noun In OE they were used as noun determinersdeterminers

During ME there was an important During ME there was an important formal difference between the formal difference between the demonstrative pronoun and the demonstrative pronoun and the definite articledefinite article

The demonstrative pronoun had the The demonstrative pronoun had the number distinction, while the definite number distinction, while the definite article acquired the weakened form article acquired the weakened form the, the, and became uninflected.and became uninflected.

Indefinite articleIndefinite article

It developed from the OE numeral It developed from the OE numeral and indefinite pronoun and indefinite pronoun ānān

In the 13In the 13thth c c. - oone/one . - oone/one and their and their reduced formreduced form an/a are an/a are used in all used in all regionsregions