A Book of Middle English

This essential Middle English textbook, now in its third edition, introduces students to the wide range of literature written in England between 1150 and 1400. New, thoroughly revised edition of this essential Middle English textbook. Introduces the language of the time, giving guidance on pronunciation, spelling, grammar, metre, vocabulary and regional dialects. Now includes extracts from 'Pearl' and Chaucer's 'Troilus and Criseyde'. Bibliographic references have been updated throughout. Each text is accompanied by detailed notes.

J.A. Burrow is Emeritus Professor at Bristol University. His many publications include Medieval Writers and their Work (1982) and Gestures and Looks in Medieval Narrative (2002).

Thorlac Turville-Petre is Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Nottingham. His previous publications include England the Nation (1996) and The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 2: Trinity College, Cambridge, MS B.15.19 (CD-ROM, 2000).

List of Illustrations

ix

Preface to the Third Edition

xi

Abbreviations

xii

PART ONE

1. Introducing Middle English

3

(6)

1.1 The Period

3

(2)

1.1.1 From Old to Middle English

3

(1)

1.1.2 From Middle to Modern English

4

(1)

1.2 Varieties of Middle English

5

(4)

1.2.1 Regional Dialects

5

(3)

1.2.2 Early and Late Middle English

8

(1)

1.2.3 Spelling

8

(1)

2 Pronouncing Middle English

9

(5)

2.1 Introduction

9

(1)

2.2 Vowels

10

(2)

2.2.1 The Long Vowels

10

(1)

2.2.2 The Short Vowesl

11

(1)

2.2.3 Unstressed Final -e

11

(1)

2.2.4 The Diphthongs

12

(1)

2.3 Consonants

12

(1)

2.4 Stress

13

(1)

3 Vocabulary

14

(5)

3.1 Introduction

14

(1)

3.2 Scandinavian

14

(1)

3.3 English, French and Latin

15

(2)

3.4 Latin Loan-Words

17

(1)

3.5 French Loan-Words

18

(1)

4 Inflexions

19

(19)

4.1 Introduction

19

(1)

4.1.1 The Inflexional System

19

(1)

4.1.2 Loss of Inflexional Endings

19

(1)

4.2 Nouns

20

(4)

4.2.1 Introduction

20

(1)

4.2.2 Noun Inflexions: Early Southern Texts

21

(1)

4.2.3 Delelopments In Noun Inflexions

22

(1)

4.2.4 Genitive Singular Without Ending

23

(1)

4.2.5 Unchanged Plurals

23

(1)

4.2.6 Mutated Plurals

23

(1)

4.3 Pronouns and Articles

24

(3)

4.3.1 Forms of the Personal Pronouns

24

(1)

4.3.2 First and Second Person Pronouns

24

(1)

4.3.3 Third Person Pronouns: Masculine and Neuter Singular

25

(1)

4.3.4 Third Person Pronouns: Feminine Singular

25

(1)

4.3.5 Third Person Pronouns: Plural

26

(1)

4.3.6 The Definite Article

26

(1)

4.3.7 Demonstratives

27

(1)

4.3.8 The Indefinite Article

27

(1)

4.4 Adjectives and Adverbs

27

(3)

4.4.1 Definite and Indefinite Inflexions

27

(1)

4.4.2 Inflexions for Case

28

(1)

4.4.3 Comparison of Adjectives

29

(1)

4.4.4 Comparison of Adverbs

29

(1)

4.5 Verbs

30

(8)

4.5.1 Introduction

30

(1)

4.5.2 Present Tense

30

(2)

4.5.3 Past Tense and Past Participle

32

(1)

4.5.4 Past of Weak Verbs

32

(1)

4.5.5 The Verbs 'Have' and 'Say'

33

(1)

4.5.6 Past of Strong Verbs

34

(1)

4.5.7 Irregular Verbs

35

(1)

4.5.8 The Verb 'To Be'

36

(2)

5 Syntax

38

(18)

5.1 Gender

38

(1)

5.2 Number

38

(1)

5.3 Use of Cases

39

(2)

5.3.1 Nominative and Accusative

39

(1)

5.3.2 Genitive

39

(1)

5.3.3 Dative

40

(1)

5.4 Pronouns and Articles

41

(3)

5.4.1 Pou and Ze

41

(1)

5.4.2 Non-expression of Personal Pronouns

41

(1)

5.4.3 Man

42

(1)

5.4.4 Self

42

(1)

5.4.5 Reflexive Pronouns

42

(1)

S.4.6 Relative Pronouns

43

(1)

5.4.7 The Articles

44

(1)

5.5 Adjectives and Adverbs

44

(1)

5.5.1 Position

44

(1)

5.5.2 Comparatives and Superlatives

44

(1)

5.5.3 Adjectives as Nouns

45

(1)

5.6 Verbs

45

(1)

5.6.1 Use of Present Tense

45

(1)

5.6.2 Use of Past Tense

45

(1)

5.6.3 Auxiliaries of the Past

46

(1)

5.6.4 Auxiliaries of the Future: shall and will

46

(1)

5.6.5 The Infinitive

47

(1)

5.6.6 The Subjunctive

48

(1)

5.6.7 The Imperative

50

(1)

5.6.8 Impersonal Verbs

50

(1)

5.6.9 Verbs of Motion

51

(1)

5.6.10 The Passive

51

(1)

5.7 Negation

52

(1)

5.8 Questions

52

(1)

5.9 Word-Order

53

(2)

5.9.1 Inversion

53

(1)

5.9.2 The Object

54

(1)

5.9.3 Prepositions

54

(1)

5.9.4 Relative Clauses

54

(1)

5.9.5 Adverbial Phrases

54

(1)

5.9.6 Verb in Final Position

55

(1)

5.10 Recapitulation and Anticipation

55

(1)

6 Metre

56

(6)

6.1 Introduction

56

(1)

6.2 Rhymed Verse

56

(3)

6.3 Alliterative Verse

59

(2)

6.4 Lazamon's Brut

61

(1)

7 From Manuscript to Printed Text

62

(3)

8 Select Bibliography

65

(9)

8.1 Bibliographies and Indexes

65

(1)

8.2 Language Studies

65

(2)

8.3 General Studies of the Literature

67

(2)

8.4 Studies of Particular Genres

69

(1)

8.5 Historical and Social Studies

70

(4)

PART TWO: PROSE AND VERSE TEXTS

Note on Treatment of Texts

74

(1)

1 The Peterborough Chronicle 1137

75

(1)

2 The Owl and the Nightingale

81

(1)

3 La3amon: Brut

96

(1)

4 Ancrene Wisse

106

(1)

5 Sir Orfeo

112

(1)

6 The Cloud of Unknowing

132

(1)

7 William Langland: Piers Plowman

141

(1)

8 Patience

162

(1)

9 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

182

(20)

10 Pearl

202

(19)

11 St Erkenwald

221

(14)

12 John Trevisa: Dialogue between a Lord and a Clerk

235

(8)

13 John Gower: Confessio Amantis

243

(12)

14 Lyrics

255

(17)

15 The York Play of the Crucifixion

272

(11)

16 Geoffrey Chaucer: The Parliament of Fowls

283

(26)

17 Geoffrey Chaucer: Troilus and Criseyde

309

(18)

18 Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

327

(29)

18a The Reeve's Tale

328

(18)

18b The Prioress's Tale

346

(10)

Textual Notes

356

(7)

Glossary

363

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A Book of Middle English

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials