Middle English Period  (Four major dialects & Englishness In England )

In continuation with the previous lecture, we begin looking at the Middle English period.

 

Let us look at the Four major dialects:

Coming back to some linguistic aspects, there were four major dialects during this time; south western it had emerged from the old English West Saxon, south eastern which emerged from the old English Kentish, East Midland and west midland and also Northern, so all of these dialects where in some form a continuation from the old English language from the old English dialects. We also note that the two dialects east midland and west midland, they had together emerged from the old English Mercian and in this context the east midland dialect assumes more importance because this was a one who became Chaucer’s language and since East Midland was spoken more in London and also it became the major literary vehicle of Chaucer East Midland dialect is a one from which contemporary English set has emerged as well. So this is also this 5th kind known as the northern dialect and we find that almost all of these dialects where quite different from one another it is said that even if they lived just 50 miles apart and if they spoke these different dialects they were not comprehensible to one another. So these dialects where almost like 5 different languages but and each writer was quite free to use which ever dialect that he or she preferred. And the spellings and the grammars differed on the individual kind of uses and it all depended on which spelling each author preferred to use.

In some form this is said to have got most standardized with Chaucer writing entirely in the east midland dialect and also giving it a sense of reputation and more acceptance because it was mostly spoken in the city of London.

In terms of dialectical differences, England begins to assert itself as a single national linguistic identity whose diversity does not affect in any way the evolution of language or the emergence of English into a single unit.

 

Towards more Englishness:

And towards the time of Chaucer we also find England moving towards more Englishness and this is a kind of definition and the classification which is stated on to define rest of the centuries as well.

 

And from this period, from the end of the 14th century and from the end of the 13th century onwards, we find England also seizing to be a recipient of foreign influences than Norman French influence had considerable got mitigated. England is more about native forces and the native influences, it is more organized as a nation, more conscious of her nationhood and also they had emerged to into a single racial cultural unity not taking into account the many things that differentiated them in terms of identities or in terms of linguistic and dialectical differences.

And also at this point of time we find that though in England continues to receive lot of influences from the neighboring countries and also from all kinds of cultural and linguistic imports from other languages, England begins to form her own kind of literature her own kind of religion begins to practice her own economics society and also develops their own methods of war. So that makes a nation quite distinguishable in many ways and we find the literature of the times beginning to reflect all of these elements in them.

 

Chaucer is the real starting point of English literature:

And with the advent of Chaucer which we will begin to notice in the next session, we also notice that these native influences are more pronounced, there is a more English kind of writing which begins to emerge with about which we can discuss more about without relating them with the other kind of influences. And this literary output and language of the Middle English times we find it getting more consolidated towards the end of the Middle English period and with the advent of Chaucer. And at this point it is very important to note that Anglo-Saxon language or the old English language is almost like a dead foreign language now. And we do not find language going back to the roots of Anglo-Saxon tongue from this time onwards the Norman French influence stays on, there are about 10,000 words borrowed words from French which becomes part of English language in many ways England acquires a new stature by the time Chaucer comes to the scene. So let us wind up this session by giving a brief prelude towards the next session which is going to be about the age of Chaucer, many historians feel that Chaucer is the real starting point of English literature and so much so that whatever we discuss in today’s lecture is completely overshadowed by the presence of Chaucer. And with the advent of Chaucer many later historians feel that he is the first of our really national poets, some consider him as the father of English poetry and he is generally considered as the opening moment of the English literature proper. So with this we come to an end to this today’s session and we have noted how the old English period and the Middle English period where quite important and significant in shaping the in laying the foundations of English literature and shaping how literature would be in the forthcoming centuries.

 

So we look forward to seeing you in the next session with the age of Chaucer, thank you.