The Middle English Period Early Middle English

Middle English extends from about 1100 AD to 1500. It begins with the Norman Conquest and ends with a transitional period leading to the close of the Middle Ages. It is marked by the sweeping changes in vocabulary caused first by two Scandinavian invasions (8-9th c., 11th c.) and then by the Norman Conquest (1066).

The Scandinavian invasions are attested by geographical names. In Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and some other north-eastern parts of the country, up to 75 per cent of the place-names are Danish or Norwegian. Altogether more than 1400 English villages and towns bear names of Scandinavian origin. Due to the contacts and mixture with Old Scandinavian, the northern Old English dialects, e.g. Northumbrian and East Mercian, had acquired lasting and sometimes indelible Scandinavian features. Yet since the language of the areas where Norsemen settled was scarcely written down in Old English times, it is only in Middle English documents that the real force of the Norse influence on the English language becomes perceptible.

In 1066, England was occupied by the Normans. The Norman conquerors of England had originally come from Scandinavia, but in the 11th century they came to Britain as French speakers and bearers of French culture. They spoke the Northern dialect of French, which differed from Parisian French.

The effects of the Norman Conquest and of the consequent French cultural influences later, were to deprive English finally of its homogeneous character. Old Scandinavian, being fairly closely related to Old English, has left far less distinctive traces on the main stream of English than Norman French, which was not a Germanic language. Inflexions, which had begun to weaken or become blurred in Late Old English, became definitely reduced in the Middle English period. This process caused the word-order to become less free, as well as encouraged the growth of the use of prepositions and word-combinations.

Feudalism in England was established in the 11^th century. The majority of the population, which amounted to about 2 million people, were bound to their lord and land. Feudal manors were separated from their neighbours by local feuds and various restrictions concerning settlement, travelling and employment. These historical conditions also produced a certain influence on the development of English.

In Early Middle English the differences between the regional dialects grew. The main dialectal division in England, which survived in later ages, goes back to this period of English history.

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 1568