THE GEOFFREY CHAUCER PAGE
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Chaucer's Middle English
(To go directly to Index of Lessons click here).
The aim of this page is to provide the user with the means to learn to pronounce Chaucer's English and to acquire an elementary knowledge of Chaucer's grammar and vocabulary. It does not offer much on matters of style and versification and has almost nothing on the literary qualities of Chaucer's work. The users who work conscientiously through these materials should be ready to study such matters on theirown (beginning with the materials on the Geoffrey Chaucer Website, and exploring other sources both on and off the Web).
It is assumed that the user of the page has a printed text of The Canterbury Tales. There are texts on line, but none with the quality one finds in print (a printed edition, with a good glossary and notes, remains the most effective form of hypertext). The exercises on this page assume that the user has a copy of either the Riverside Chaucer or The Canterbury Tales Complete, based on the Riverside. Other well glossed editions may be used, though problems will arise in the self-tests provided, since they are co-ordinated with the glosses and Explanatory Notes in the recommended texts.
The lessons begin with Chaucer's pronunciation, often illustrated with sound (therefore you must have a computer with sound capabilities in order to get the full benefit of this page). Most of the sound clips are small and should offer no problems in loading; a couple of them are relatively long and will load slowly on a telephone modem. These are labelled with warnings and alternate sound clips are suggested. (Note too that on some browsers a new window will be opened for each sound clip; take care to close the window after you arefinished with the sound clip, to prevent opening too many windows.)
In the early sections on Chaucer's language links are frequently provided to more detailed discussions of particular matters; it is not necessary to follow up every link. The user should be guided by his or her own interests.
Beginning with The Shipman's Tale, the texts used are interlinear translations, provided with quizzes -- self-tests for the users to check on their progress in learning Chaucer's language. The assumption is that the quizzes will encourage very close attention to the language; the goal is not to encourage the users to translate literally but rather to enable them to make Chaucer's language part of their own. For example, the word 'hende,' used so frequently in The Miller's Tale, has a great variety of meanings -- clever, tricky, courteous, handy -- all of which are implied in any single usage, lending these usages a richness in reference that is lost in any translation. The reader who has carefully considered the word in its various contexts can enjoy some of that richness.
The lessons take up the tales in this order: The Shipman's Tale, The General Prologue, The Knight's Tale, The Miller's Tale, The Reeve's Tale, and The Cook's Tale. This is the recommended order, but users are of course free to study the tales in whatever order they wish. Other tales are provided with interlinear translations and quizzes on their vocabularies, and users may, if they wish, construct their own course of instruction -- though they are strongly urged to follow the course as it is set out on these pages.
This page will frequently make use of the other materials on the Geoffrey Chaucer Website. If you have not already done so, take time to browse through that Website and get an idea of what sorts of materials it contains.
Links for navigation within these lessons are provided at the end of each page; to move from any one of the pages back to the Home page of the Geoffrey Chaucer Website, click on the large illuminated C at the top of the page, or the small one at the bottom of the page.
To begin, go to the Index and select Lesson 1 (on lines 1-18 of the General Prologue).
The Middle English texts of Chaucer on this page arefrom Larry D. Benson, gen.ed. The Riverside Chaucer, 3ed,displayed with special permission of the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Last modified: Oct 2, 2001
The modern translations of these texts are copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Texts on this page prepared and maintained by L. D. Benson (ldb@wjh.harvard.edu)
Index of Lessons
Introduction
Lesson 1, The General Prologue, 1-18
Lesson 2, Pronouncing Chaucer's Middle English
Lesson 3, Chaucer's Final -e
Lesson 4, Chaucer's Vocabulary
Lesson 5, Chaucer's Grammar
Lesson 6, The Shipman's Tale
Lesson 7, The General Prologue
Lesson 8, The Knight's Tale
Lesson 9, The Miller's, Reeve's, and Cook's Tales
Lesson 10, Reading More TalesReturn to the Geoffrey Chaucer Website Home Page.
Middle English Names
Middle English (ME) was the dominant and traditional spoken language form in many parts of England during the Middle Ages. Though most language historians suggest that prior to about 1000 CE, the primary language in England was Anglo-Saxon, the Norman invasion of England had significant effect on Anglo-Saxon. It gradually morphed the language into Middle English, a form almost recognizable, at least in text, as far more relative to modern spoken and written English.
History can have an intense effect on language. For England, the Norman invasion changed English forever. In the courts and in much of the writing of the time, French was definitely preferable, accounting for the numerous French-based words (over 10,000) that are now the common every day words of today’s English. Most documents dated after 1000 were written in either French or Latin, and Middle English drew from both, while still retaining some of its Anglo-Saxon roots. This in part accounts for the significant “exceptions” in English grammar, spelling, structure and pronunciation that can make English such a challenging language to learn, especially for those acquiring it as a second language.
Despite the use of French in court, Middle English was the language of the people, and few people outside the nobility or the church were readers. Moreover, even with the development of the printing press, books were highly expensive, and few, except for those in the upper classes, could afford them. It’s also important to understand that Middle English was not the only language spoken in England. Scots, Cornish and Welsh all were spoken and differ from modern and even Middle English, and several prominent dialects of ME like the West Midland dialect have significant differences from the “London” form of the language.
As French influence faded, a number of writers from the 12th and 13th century decided to write in the vernacular language, rather than in French and Latin. This tradition spread, and the 14th century produced probably the most important vernacular writer, Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. Important West Midland dialect writers produced two of the classics in English medieval literature, Pearl and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The authors of these pieces are unknown and some critics attest the same person wrote them.
Middle English Dictionary
You can observe many differences between Middle English and modern form. Many of these are slight spelling differences, and many others have to do with pronunciation of the language. Adobe reader xi access denied. Chief among pronunciation changes from Middle to Early Modern English is the typically French pronunciation of most vowels. What we now refer to as silent “e” was frequently a spoken syllable. Vowel pronunciation of long vowels is as follows:
Middle English Wikipedia
- Long a is aah
Long e is like the a in fade
Long i is like the e in greet
Long o is like the o in fool
U was probably pronounced “ow,” and y was more frequently used as a long I sound as in wine.
Middle English Dialect
What remains one of the linguistic mysteries of all times is the not so gradual change in pronunciation from ME to Early Modern English. This is referred to as the Great Vowel Shift and occurred in approximately the late 15th century. Early Modern English changed vowel pronunciation to the more recognizable pronunciation of today’s British English, but why this occurred is still a matter of theory and speculation.