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Chapter 2: Middle English: Overview

  • Jeremy J. Smith
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Volume 3 Middle English
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Volume 3 Middle English

Abstract

Middle English is the period in the history of English when variation is most thoroughly recorded in the spoken mode, and the body of surviving material is very large. In this chapter, the extralinguistic reasons for the survival of variation in Middle English are given, focusing on the relationship between linguistic form and socio-cultural function. Middle English has come down to us directly through manuscripts, and indirectly through reconstruction and through the study of residualisms in Present-day English; the reliability of the evidence for Middle English is assessed. Each level of language in turn is then discussed: writing- and speech-systems (= transmission), grammar, and lexicon. New resources (especially online) for the study of Middle English are flagged, offering exciting possibilities for future research. The aim of the chapter is to offer both a characterization of Middle English itself and a sketch of the resources available for its study.

Abstract

Middle English is the period in the history of English when variation is most thoroughly recorded in the spoken mode, and the body of surviving material is very large. In this chapter, the extralinguistic reasons for the survival of variation in Middle English are given, focusing on the relationship between linguistic form and socio-cultural function. Middle English has come down to us directly through manuscripts, and indirectly through reconstruction and through the study of residualisms in Present-day English; the reliability of the evidence for Middle English is assessed. Each level of language in turn is then discussed: writing- and speech-systems (= transmission), grammar, and lexicon. New resources (especially online) for the study of Middle English are flagged, offering exciting possibilities for future research. The aim of the chapter is to offer both a characterization of Middle English itself and a sketch of the resources available for its study.

Heruntergeladen am 12.10.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110525328-002/html?lang=de
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