1. Historical Linguistics From Old English to Middle English

2. Old English to Middle English After 1066: Old English spoken by 90% of the people in England –Most French speakers were in London and/or upper class Old English continued to evolve –Added /s/ to the ends of words to make them plural –Added prepositions instead of inflections (prefixes and suffixes) –Absorbed some French words, resisted others

3. Old English to Middle English Romantic poems about courtly love, knights written in French (like King Arthur) Folk songs about nature written in English

4. Old English to Middle English “Sumer is Icumen in”: still well-known folk song written using only English words.Sumer is Icumen in

5. Sumer is icumen in,Summer has arrived Lhude sing, cuccu;Loudly sing, cuckoo! Groweth sedThe seed is growing and bloweth med,The meadow is blooming And springth the wode nu;The wood is growing new leaves Sing, cuccu!Sing, cuckoo! Awe bleteth after lomb,The ewe bleats after her lamb Lhouth after calue cu;The cow is lowing after her calf Bulluc sterteth,The bull prances Bucke uerteth,The billy-goat farts Murie sing, cuccu!Sing merrily, cuckoo! Cuccu, cuccu,Cuckoo, Cuckoo Wel singes thu, cuccu;You sing well, cuckoo Ne swic thu naver nu.Never stop now Sing, cuccu, nu; sing, cuccu;Sing, cuckoo, now; sing, cuckoo Sing, cuccu; sing, cuccu, nu!Sing, cuckoo; sing, cuckoo, now!

6. Old English to Middle English Gradually, English speakers started taking on French words English speakers moved to London Middle class began to use more French words Modern English often has two words for the same thing, with slightly different meanings. English speakers kept both words because they reflect different shades of meaning…

7. Old English to Middle English EnglishFrench AxHatchet SwanSignet RoomChamber RabbitHare AskDemand BitMorsel WishDesire

8. Old English to Middle English Why didn’t English people totally absorb French? –King of Normandy lost lands to France –Cut off French speakers in England from French speakers in France –French-speaking men started to marry English women, not women from Normandy –English-speaking mothers and nannies spoke English (with some influence from French) to babies  families started speaking English

10. Middle English Arabic’s influence on English –French traders interacted with Arabic-speaking traders –French traders started to use words picked up from Arabic-speaking traders: Mattress Saffron Syrup Hazard Amber Checkmate (Arabic for “the king is dead”)

11. Middle English By 1300 –Old English and Old French had merged to become one language –English language became part of English identity –English, French, and Latin spoken in England, but English was the only language everyone knew –Written English spread in songs and translated sermons. –No uniform English—varied by region Dialects remain today

12. Middle English 1348: The Black Plague –Killed over 1/3 of England’s population –Killed many clergy members Latin and French speakers Lived in large communities like monasteries Traveled among homes and towns to visit parishioners –Most of England’s peasants (English speakers) survived –Middle / ruling class, clergy replaced by English speakers –English spoken in business, schools, law courts –1362: Parliament conducted business in English

13. Middle English The Canterbury Tales –1387 –Geoffrey Chaucer: Scientist, writer, diplomat, the “Father of English Literature” –Series of 20 stories told by characters going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. –Most literature still written in French or Latin –Chaucer recognized richness of English language –Vocabulary, syntax, tone, voice different for each character –Made English worthy of “Great Literature”