Image Source: Part Two: Middle English

1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: English Takes Over In the middle 1300s, English began to take over as the main language of England, replacing French. At this time, English was already spoken by most working class people in England, but in 1348, English replaced Latin as the language spoken in schools. “Hey, how’s it going?” “Wow! You speak great English!” Sound effects found at:

1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: English Takes Over English also replaced French as the language of the law, the language spoken in the courts. This happened because of a law called The Statute of Pleading Law of Commander dans le tribunal! I mean, Order in the Court! Order in the Court! Sound effects found at:

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet, wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories, between 1387 and It is the story of a group of thirty pilgrims traveling to Canterbury England. Here you will see a copy of the beginning (prologue) of the Canterbury Tales, written in Middle English. Notice that more of the words are familiar than they were in Old English. Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Image and Sound found at: Image found at:

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales sweet Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales “whose creative influence brings flowers into blossom"

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales the warm, west wind

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales woods Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales Aries, the Greek God of War follow along!

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales “so strongly are they moved by natural impluse."

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales pilgrims who visited the Holy Land

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales shores

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales far-off Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales shrines Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales familiar Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales Holy, blissful martyr, referring to St. Thomas Becket who was murdered at Canterbury.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales “who has cured them” Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.soote Of which vertu engendred is the flourZephirusholtthe Ram (So priketh hem nature in hir corages);palmeresstrondesfernehalweskowthe The hooly blisful martir That hem hath holpen seeke 1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: Canterbury Tales sick Mouse over the underlined words to see what they mean. Then, click the megaphone to hear how the poem sounds in Middle English.

1100 – 1500 A.D. - Middle English: The Printing Press! In 1499, at the very end of the Middle English period, the first dictionary was printed on English soil. It was printed by Wynkyn de Wonde. In 1447, a printing press with movable type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg and brought to England by William Caxton. This invention would allow the English language to be spread throughout the world.

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