Middle English

1100-1500
The history of Middle English is often divided into three periods:
(1) Early ME, from about 1100 to about 1250, during which the OE
system of writing was still in use; (2) the Central ME period from
about 1250 to about 1400, which was marked by the gradual
formation of literary dialects, the use of an orthography greatly
influenced by the Anglo-Norman writing system, the loss of
pronunciation of final unaccented -e, and the borrowing of large
numbers of Anglo-Norman words; the period was especially marked
by the rise of the London dialect, in the hands of such writers
as John Gower and Geoffrey Chaucer; and (3) Late ME, from about
1400 to about 1500, which was marked by the spread of the London
literary dialect and the gradual cleavage between the Scottish dialect
and the other northern dialects. 
ME and OE Dialects
THE DIALECT DIVISION
The dialect division which evolved in Early ME was on the whole preserved
in later periods. In the 14th and 15th c. we find the same grouping of local
dialects: the Southern group, including Kentish and the South-Western
dialects (the South-Western group was a continuation of the OE Saxon
dialects), the Midland or Central (corresponding to the OE Mercian dialect
– is divided into West Midland and East Midland as two main areas) and
the Northern group (had developed from OE Northumbrian). And yet the
relations between them were changing. The most important event in the
changing linguistic situation was the rise of the London dialect as the
prevalent written form of language.
The most important event in the changing
linguistic situation was the rise of the London
dialect as the prevalent written form of
language. The history of the London dialect
reveals the sources of the literary language in
Late ME and also the main source and basis
of the Literary Standard, both in its written
and spoken forms. The Early ME written
records made in London – beginning with the
PROCLAMATION of 1258 – show that the
dialect of London was fundamentally East
Saxon. Later records indicate that the speech
of London was becoming more fixed, with
East Midland features gradually prevailing
over the Southern features.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343-1400)
 Chaucer was the first great poet writing in
English, whose best-known work is 'The
Canterbury Tales'.
 Geoffrey Chaucer was born between 1340
and 1345, probably in London. His father was
a prosperous wine merchant. We do not know
any details of his early life and education.
 In 1357, he was a page to Elizabeth, Countess
of Ulster, wife of Edward III's third son.
Chaucer was captured by the French during
the Brittany expedition of 1359, but was
ransomed by the king. Edward III later sent
him on diplomatic missions to France, Genoa
and Florence. His travels exposed him to the
work of authors such as Dante, Boccaccio and
Froissart.
West Saxon lost its supremacy, and the centre of culture and
learning gradually shifted from Winchester to London. The old
Northumbrian dialect became divided into Scottish and
Northern, although little is known of either of these divisions
before the end of the 13th century. The old Mercian dialect was
split into East and West Midland. West Saxon became slightly
diminished in area and was more appropriately named the South
Western dialect. The Kentish dialect was considerably extended
and was called South Eastern accordingly. All five Middle
English dialects (Northern, West Midland, East Midland, South
Western, and South Eastern) went their own ways and
developed their own characteristics. 
Norman Conquest
Harold II, also called Harold Godwineson or Harold
Godwinson (born 1020—died Oct. 14, 1066, near Hastings, Sussex,
Eng.), last Anglo-Saxon king of England. A strong ruler and a
skilled general, he held the crown for nine months in 1066 before he
was killed at the Battle of Hastings by Norman invaders
under William the Conqueror.
On October 14, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings in England, King
Harold II (c.1022-66) of England was defeated by the Norman
forces of William the Conqueror (c.1028-87). By the end of the
bloody, all-day battle, Harold was dead and his forces were
destroyed. The battle changed the course of history and established
the Normans as the rulers of England, which in turn brought about a
significant cultural transformation.
Harold’s reign, however, was destined to be short and troubled.
He was immediately threatened by William and Harald III
Hardraade, king of Norway, as well as by Tostig. In May,
Harold mobilized his fleet and a peasant army of the south to
guard the coast against an expected invasion by William.
Meanwhile, Harold was forced to repel Tostig’s raids on the
southern and eastern coasts. In September Harald and Tostig
invaded in the north, defeating an army at Gate Fulford;
marching northward, Harold met them at Stamford Bridge,
where he won an overwhelming victory on September 25.
Harald and Tostig were killed, and the remnants of their
armies quickly left England.
William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, by his
mistress Arlette. The duke, who had no other sons, designated
William his heir, and with his death in 1035 William became duke of
Normandy at age seven. By the time he was 20, William had become
an able ruler and was backed by King Henry I of France. Henry later
turned against him, but William survived the opposition and in 1063
expanded the borders of his duchy into the region of Maine.
Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of
Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britain’s southeast
coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of
Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history.
Old and Middle English spelling conventions
Pronunciation OE spelling ME spelling Examples in ME

[kw] cw qu queen, quick

[∫] sc ss, sch, sh fiss, fisch, fish

[dʒ] cg i, j, g iuge, juge “judge”, egge

“edge”
[k] c k, c kinn, cool

[t ∫ ] c ch chinn “chin”

[s] s s,c cyndre, cindir “cinder”

[g] ʒ g god, good

[j] ʒ ʒ, y er, yer, yeer “year”

[x, ç] h h, ʒ, gh liht, liʒt, light

[i] i i, y king, kyng

Cont.
Pronunciation OE spelling ME spelling Examples in ME

[i:] Ī i, y fir, fyr

[e:] ē e, ee quen, queen

[o:] ō o, oo fod, food

[u:] ū ou, ow hous, hows

The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue
By Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
And specially, from every shires ende
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
 
 CHANGES IN PRONUNCIATION

Monophthongization of OE diphthongs
 
Vowels
OE ie, īe > ME y, i; nieht > niht, nyht
OE /æ/ > ME /a/ Þæt > Þat, wæs > was
OE ēo, ē > ME /ē/ [e:]; dēop > dēp; sēon > sēn
OE /ā/ > ME /ō/ [ ᴐ:]; stān > stōn; ᴣān > ᴣōn
OE ēa, ǣ > ME ę [ε:]; ēaᴣe > ēᴣe
OE ō > ME ō [o:]; sōna > soon
OE ea >ME æ >a
 OE eo > ME e,eo
 
 
NEW DIPHTHONGS

1. /ai/ from /a/ < OE /æ/ or /æ/ + /i/ < OE /j/ ; Spelling ai or
ay;
OE dæg > dai; OE nægl > ME nail;
2. /ei/ from /e/ + /i/ < OE /j/; Spelling ei or ey;
OE weg > ME wey; OE segl > ME seil;
3. /au/ from /a/ < OE /a/ + /u/ from fricative velar /γ/;
Spelling aw;
OE dragan >ME drawen
ON lagu > OE lagu > ME lawe.