English Class 11 Chapter 4 Notes Bihar Board बिहार बोर्ड

Middle English

1. Overview of Middle English Period

• Timeframe: AD 1150 – 1500.
• Transition from Old English: The Middle English period began after nearly a century following the end of the Old English period in AD 1066.
• Significant Events:
  • Introduction of Printing Technology: William Caxton set up the first printing press in Westminster Abbey, England, in AD 1476, which played a crucial role in standardizing the English language.
  • The Great Vowel Shift: A major phonological change that began around AD 1400, involving significant shifts in the pronunciation of long vowels, marking a key difference between early and modern English.

2. Dialects of Middle English

• Diverse Dialects: Middle English was marked by the existence of multiple dialects both in spoken and written forms, with no single literary standard.
• Primary Dialects:
  • Northern
  • Southern
  • East Midland
  • West Midland
  • Kentish
• Evolution: The East Midland dialect eventually evolved into Modern English due to a combination of factors and geographical significance.

3. Middle English Vocabulary

• French Influence: The most significant impact on Middle English vocabulary came from French, especially during the 13th and 14th centuries. Approximately 10,000 French words entered English during this period, with around 75% still in use today. These words are often related to law, literature, administration, religion, and fashion.
• Latin Influence: Latin also heavily influenced Middle English, particularly in science, medicine, law, and literature. Some Latin words entered directly, while others came through French.

4. Middle English Grammar

• Phonological and Grammatical Changes: Middle English saw extensive changes that transformed English from a highly inflected language to an analytic one.
• Loss of Inflections: Due to phonetic changes, many Old English noun, verb, and adjective endings were lost, leading to the rise of fixed word order as the primary means of indicating grammatical relationships.
• The Great Vowel Shift: This series of phonological changes mainly affected long vowels, creating a significant difference between Middle English and Modern English vowel systems.

5. Middle English Literature

• Phases of Middle English Literature:
  • Early Phase (AD 1150 – AD 1215): Predominantly religious literature, with support mainly from the Church, as the upper classes patronized French literature.
  • Second Phase (AD 1250 – AD 1350): A shift towards variety, including secular works and translations of popular French romances.
• Classical Middle English Period (AD 1340 – 1400): Marked by great individual writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, William Langland, and John Wyclif.
• Notable Works:
  • Geoffrey Chaucer: “The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales,” “The Canterbury Tales.”
  • John Gower: “Meditantis,” “Vox Clamantis,” “Confessio Amantis.”
  • William Langland: “Piers the Plowman.”
  • John Wyclif: Translation of the Bible.
• Anonymous Works: “The Pearl” and “Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight,” both considered significant contributions to English poetry.
• Chaucer’s Contribution: Chaucer’s works, especially, provide valuable insights into medieval life, Middle English grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.