| Approximate
Dating
| Groups of Dialects
|
| Kentish
| South, Western or West Midland
| London
| Midland or East Midland
| Northern
| Scottish
|
|
12th c.
|
|
|
| THE PETERBOROUGH CHRONICLE
|
|
|
|
13th c.
| Kentish Sermons POEMA MORALE
| ANCREME RIWLE
Layamon: BRUT
| PROCLAMATION of Henry III
Political Poems
| ORMULUM;
HAVELOK THE DANE
| THE PROSE RULE OF ST BENEDICT
|
|
|
14th c.
| Dan Michael AY ENBITE OF INWIT
| Robert of Gloucester, a versified CHRONICLE SIR GAWAINE AND THE GREEN KNIGHT and other poems by the same author
Higden: translation of POLYCHRONICON
| Romance of Chivalry: RICHARD COEUR DE LION and others;
Wyclif’s works;
Langland PIERS THE PLOWMAN;
Chaucer’s works
Gower’s works
| Adam Davy’s poems
Romances of Chivalry;
Miracle Plays
| CURSOR MUNDI;
Richard Rolle of Hampole: THE PRICK OF CONSCIENCE
| J. Barbour: BRUCE;
Henry the Minstrel: WALLACE
|
|
15th c.
|
|
| Hoccleeve’s poems
Lydgate poems
Th. Malory: MORTE D’ARTHUR
| York Plays
|
| James I: KING’S QUHAIR
|
| Phonetic conditions
| Change illustrated
| Examples
|
| OE
| ME
| NE
|
| Before homorganic consonant sequences: sonorant plus plosive (ld, nd, mb)
|
Vowels become long
| cild
findan
climban
cold
feld
fundon
gold
| child [t∫i:ld]
finden [΄fi:ndən]
climben [΄kli:mbən]
cold [ko:ld]
field [fe:ld]
founden [΄fu:nden]
gold [go:ld]
| child
find
climb
cold
field
found
gold
|
| Before other consonant sequences
|
Vowels become short
| fīftiç
fēdde
mētte
wīsdom
| fifty [΄fifti]
fedde [΄feddə]
mette [΄mettə]
wisdom [΄wizdəm]
| fifty
fed
met
wisdom
|
|
In open syllables
|
Vowels become long and more open
| mete
stelan
macian
talu
nosu
stolen
yfel
duru
| mete [΄mε:tə]
stelen [΄stε:lən]
maken [΄ma:kən]
tale [΄ta:lə]
nose [΄no:zə]
stolen [΄sto:lən]
yvel, evel [i:], [e:]
doore [΄do:rə]
| meat
steal
make
tale
nose
stolen
evil
door
|
