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Questions and Answers
What is the primary difference between the terms 'Wed' and 'Marry' in the context of language derivation?
Which of the following is an example of a Native suffix added to a borrowed French word?
What was the main focus of medieval literature categorized under 'Courtly Love'?
In the context of animal terminology, which English word corresponds to the French word for the meat product?
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Which literary category was primarily focused on religious themes and moral lessons?
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In phonetics, how is the vowel sound classified in the word 'Offend'?
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Which of the following words is an example of compounding in English?
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What is the significance of the Normans introducing terms related to the feudal system in English?
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What significant event marked the beginning of the Middle English period?
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Which dialect of Middle English was predominantly spoken by Chaucer?
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What was a major change in grammar during the Middle English period regarding plural markers?
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How did the influence of French affect spelling during the Middle English period?
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What change occurred to the long vowel 'a' from Old English to Middle English?
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What personal pronoun was introduced during the Middle English period?
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Which term describes the reduction of final unaccented syllables to '-e' during the Middle English period?
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What was the primary influence of French on the vocabulary during the Middle English period?
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Study Notes
Middle English Period
- Began after the Norman Conquest of 1066
- Influenced by languages like Scandinavian and Norman French
- Norman French used in courts while English was spoken by common people
- Merged into Middle English in the 1300s
- Retained its Saxon character despite the influence of Norman French
Dialects
- Northern: North of the Humber and Lowlands of Scotland
- Midland: Vast central area, North of the Thames and South of the Humber
- East Midland: Chaucer's dialect
- West Midland
- South Midland
- North Midland
- Central Midland
- Southern: South of the Thames
- South-Eastern
- South-Western
Grammar
- Period of leveled inflections
- Final unaccented syllables reduced to "-e" with phonetic value (e.g., "sweete")
- General plural marker in most dialects: "-en"
- Preferred plural marker in East Midland dialect: "-es"
- Suffix "-en" added to infinitive verbs, "to" was later added, then "-en" dropped (e.g., "To Sleep" = "To Sleepen", "To Sing" = "To Singen")
- Genderless indeclinable "the" introduced
- Gender became based on common sense and logic
- Personal pronoun "she" was introduced
Spelling
- French and Norman French orthography influenced spelling changes
- Old English phonetic habits disappeared due to French scribes who were copyists
- This caused confusion in spelling, introducing new spellings to words that retained their pronunciation (e.g., "ou" in "mouse" and "house")
- Many long vowel sounds were marked by double letters (e.g., "boc" = "booc", "se" = "see")
- Trailing "e" was often not pronounced but retained in spelling to indicate long vowels (e.g., Nose, Mole, Name)
- The long vowel "a" of Old English became more of an "o" in Middle English (e.g., "Ham" = "Home", "Stan" = "Stone", "Ban" = "Bone")
- Short vowels were identified by consonant doubling (e.g., "Siting" = "Sitting")
- "C" changed into "K" before front vowels (e.g., "Keep", "Kit", "Kelp")
- "C" retained its form before back vowels (e.g., "Cool", "Come", "Cope")
- "C" came to be pronounced as "S" before front vowels due to French influence (e.g., "City", "Receive", "Receipt")
Vocabulary
- French was used in Parliament, law courts, and schools
- English and French words side by side gave rise to synonyms, with different meanings (e.g., "Wed" and "Marry")
- Word Derivation
- Based on Native Elements
- Based on a mixture of elements
- Native suffixes + Borrowed words (e.g., Unfaithful, beautiful, courtship)
- Compounding (e.g., Gentle + Woman = Gentlewoman)
- Many cooking and food-related terms are French
- Domestic animals retained their English names in the fields, but gained French names when served on the table of Norman lords (e.g., Cow = Beef, Calf = Veal, Deer = Venison, Pig = Pork, Sheep = Mutton)
- Normans introduced words related to the feudal system (e.g., Prince, Peer, Duke, Baron, Castle)
- The English "Villain" came from the French "Villain" meaning "Labourer."
Literature
- Between 1100 and 1500
- Reflects historical, social, and linguistic transformations of the time
- Three main categories:
- Religious: focused on Christianity, moral lessons, and religious teaching (e.g., medieval miracle plays, devotional texts, hagiographies, religious poetry)
- Courtly Love: idealized and often illicit forms of love associated with nobility (e.g., love, chivalry, honor, idealization of the beloved)
- Arthurian: revolved around the legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin, and the Quest for the Holy Grail (e.g., elements of history, mythology, and romance)
- Notable poets included Lydgate, Hoccleve, Skelton, Hawes
Pronunciation
- Vowel + consonant + vowel = Long First Vowel (e.g., Open, Irate, Unite)
- Vowel + consonant + consonant = Short Vowel (e.g., Offend, Instance, Upper)
- Vowel at the end of the word = Long Vowel (e.g., Anti, Multi, Fungi)
- "y" had a long "i" sound (e.g., "Knight" was often written as "Knyght")
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