Search results
The world's largest searchable database of Middle English lexicon and usage for the period 1100-1500. An invaluable resource for lexicographers, language scholars, and all scholars in medieval studies.
In Middle English, borrowing from French is at least as frequent as borrowing from Latin, and probably rather more frequent. By 1500, over 40 per cent of all of the words that English has borrowed from French had made a first appearance in the language, including a very high proportion of those French words which have come to play a central ...
Jun 26, 2012 · Middle English is characterized by a simplification of the inflectional system of Old English, already in progress before the Norman Conquest; by a profound change in the long vowels at the end of the period, especially during the 15th century; and by an expansion of the lexicon from French sources.
All five Middle English dialects (Northern, West Midland, East Midland, South Western, and South Eastern) went their own ways and developed their own characteristics.
Middle English is the name given to the English of the period from approximately 1100 to approximately 1450. This period is marked by substantial developments in all areas of English grammar. It is also the period of English when different dialects are the most fully attested in the texts.
Apr 7, 2024 · Quick Reference. The term used by historians of the English language to denote a stage of its development intermediate between Old English (or ‘Anglo‐Saxon’) and modern English. In this historical scheme, Middle English is the language spoken and written between about 1100 and about 1500.
The term Middle English literature refers to the literature written in the form of the English language known as Middle English, from the late 12th century until the 1470s. During this time the Chancery Standard , a form of London -based English, became widespread and the printing press regularized the language.
