An Introduction to Middle EnglishThis authoritative survey offers a concise description of Middle English, the language of Chaucer, during the period from 1100 to 1500. Middle English is discussed in relation to both earlier and later stages in the history of English and in regard to other languages with which it came into contact. The book covers the principal features of Middle English spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary and also introduces Middle English textual studies. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
12 How to use this book | 2 |
13 A note about technical terms | 3 |
Recommendations for reading | 4 |
What did Middle English look like? | 7 |
22 A passage from The Canterbury Tales | 8 |
23 Linguistic analysis | 11 |
24 Evidence for Middle English | 13 |
Exercises | 64 |
Recommendations for reading | 65 |
The lexicon | 69 |
52 The origins of ME vocabulary | 70 |
53 Some notes on meaning | 77 |
54 Word geography | 79 |
55 Chaucers lexicon | 80 |
56 Vocabulary and style | 81 |
25 Two illustrations | 14 |
26 Editing Middle English | 19 |
Exercises | 20 |
Recommendations for reading | 22 |
Middle English in use | 26 |
33 For what was Middle English used? | 30 |
34 The dialects of Middle English | 31 |
35 Written standardisation | 34 |
36 The standardisation of speech | 36 |
Exercises | 38 |
Spellings and sounds | 40 |
42 Reconstructing ME pronunciation | 42 |
an outline history | 44 |
44 Chaucerian transmission | 46 |
45 Middle English soundsystems | 50 |
46 Middle English writingsystems | 60 |
Exercises | 84 |
Recommendations for reading | 85 |
Grammar | 89 |
62 Syntax | 92 |
63 Morphology | 103 |
Exercises | 118 |
Recommendations for reading | 119 |
Looking forward | 126 |
72 Language and text | 133 |
Exercises | 139 |
Middle English texts | 142 |
Discussion of the exercises | 170 |
| 173 | |
| 178 | |
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Common terms and phrases
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References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | An Introduction to Middle English An Introduction to Middle English, Simon Horobin |
| Authors | Simon Horobin, Jeremy J. Smith |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2002 |
| ISBN | 019521949X, 9780195219494 |
| Length | 182 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |