(be4) Middle English (& later)
(1)
(DIALECTAL) VARIATION IN ME
(DIALECTAL) VARIATION IN ME
(2)
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT
(3)
BORROWINGS FROM LATIN, FRENCH
& OTHER LANGUAGES
MIDDLE ENGLISH (ca. 1150-1500)
OE dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, West Saxon, Kentish
Five major dialects: Northern, West Midland,
East Midland, Southern,
South-Eastern
South-Eastern
General tendency: Southern dialects  more conservative
Northern dialects  more liberal
(influence of Scandinavian)
DIALECTAL DIVERSITY
Some phonological differences:
/ag#/ in the Northern dialect
OE /ag#/ <

>
/Pg#/ south of the Humber
/Pg#/ south of the Humber
(later on developed into /śh/)
ME /rag#d/ (Northern dialect)
OE r

d  ride, journey
ME /rPg#d/ (south of the Humber)
DIALECTAL DIVERSITY
Some phonological differences:
/i/ North & East-Midlands
OE /�/ /e/ East and South-East
/�/ West and South-West
/�/ West and South-West
brid /brid/
OE brycg  bridge bred /bred/
bruid /br�d/
DIALECTAL DIVERSITY
OE word-initial /f/ and /s/:
ME always /f/ and /s/ in most areas;
but often /v/ and /z/ in South-East,
but often /v/ and /z/ in South-East,
e.g. vor (for), vox (fox), vrom (from)
OE sw

 so; as /sag#/ (North)
/sPg#/(Midlands and South-West)
/zPg#/ (South-East)
DIALECTAL DIVERSITY
OE /ć/ ME/t/ in most areas, but /k/ in the North
e.g. church (in standard modern English)
but kirk in northern British dialects (Scots)
Morphological differences:
Morphological differences:
OE  (e)th as plural personal ending of present tense verbs
-eth in the South
-en in the Midlands
-es in the North
DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD ENGLISH
MIDDLE ENGLISH EAST MIDLAND
STANDARD MODERN ENGLISH
Four reasons:
Four reasons:
(1) Midlands middle between North & South
(2) The largest number of speakers
(3) Two great universities: Oxford & Cambridge
(4) Influence of Chaucer
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT
FROM MIDDLE ENGLISH TO MODERN ENGLISH
LONG VOWELS CHANGE
BETWEEN the 15th AND 18th CENTURIES
BETWEEN the 15th AND 18th CENTURIES
Towards the end of Chaucer s times, all ME long
vowels gradually started to be pronounced
higher in the mouth
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT
Chaucer Shakespeare Dickens
/nag#mś/ /nćg#mś/ /n�g#m/ /neŻm/ name
/kl�g#nś/ /kleg#n/ /klig#n/ clean
/�reg#n/ /�rig#n/
/�reg#n/ /�rig#n/ /�rig#n/ �reen
/fig#f/ /faŻv/ /faŻv/ five
/bPg#t/ /bog#t/ /bśht/ boat
/rog#tś/ /rug#t/ /rug#t/ root
/hug#s/ /hahs/ /hahs/ house
Putting it all together
OE sw

/swag#/
ME /sPg#/ (East Midlands)
ME /sPg#/ (East Midlands)
New English (after GVS)/sog#/
Modern English /sśh/
Putting it all together
OE r

d /rag#d/
ME /rPg#d/ (East Midlands) but /rag#d/ in the North
After GVS: /rog#d/ (East Midlands) but /r�g#d/ in the North
Modern English /rśhd/ & Modern English /reŻd/
road raid
LET S MAKE IT MORE BORING :p
(NOT ONLY) MIDDLE ENGLISH BORROWINGS