Middelenglisc spræc

**Middel Englisc** spæcen Engla and Scottas in þæm middelyldum in missenlicum aganspræcum, and man secgþ þe þisses gereordes ylde wæs þreo hund gearena of þæm ende þæs 12. gearhund oþ þæs 15. gearhundes ende ac man ne mot fæste bedælan Ænglisc spræc fram ærgeara Middelenglisc noððe Niwenglisc fram æfterweardum Middelenglisce and efne in Heanrices VIII Cyninges dæg fint man Middel Englisc scopcræft in *Speke Parott* þæm leode þone wrat Iohannes Skelton larteow and scop.

Middel Englisc greow ut Ænglisc spræc æfter þæm Norman tocyme in 1066. Wide wæs he gesprocen þurh þære Plantagenetylde (1154–1485). Seo Middelenglisc yld endode ymbe 1470, þæn sceaw 'Cancelere Seles Bysen', se wæs of Lundenes agansspræc, and begann to weardenne widespread æfter þe Willelm Caxton brohtede þone printing press on Bryten. Be þissa ylde ƿæs Norþhymbra aganspræc strang on Scottum and in norþernum Englaland and of him forþatyddrede Scyttisc and þone gereorde se todæg hæfþ his sceadwe on *Geordie*.

Æfter 1470 oþ 1650 wæs Engla gereord Ǣrlice Nīƿenglisce.

## Fruma
Ær Normadiges cyningas wæs Englisc þæs cynelican hired þæs spræce gesprōcen on West Seaxum, oððæt ðe oft mōt man readan geweorcas on Miercena spræc.  Middel Englisc wæs of manigum læppan, ac his gesetlede bysen in þæm cancelleres sele wæs of Miercum, and Westseaxena gereordes ierfan forþferde.

## Scopas and writeras
Fea Middel Englisc scopas cunnan we þæs 12. gearhundes oððe þæs and 13. gearhundes forþæm þe on þæm hired ƿrāt man on Læden oððe Frencisc. In þæm 14. gearhund arāsen scopas on him wæron Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and se ungenemneda Perl Scop. Chaucer wæs se mæsta scop on Englacynn siððan Cynewulfes dæg.

Eac þa Lollardas wrat on hiera aganspræce þe hie motan bringan Godes word þæm folce butan Romes handum.  Iohannes Wycliffe and Iohannes Purvey wraten in swylce wise.

In 1470 brohtede Willelm Caxton ge þryccræft to Englalande and Chauceres *[[Canterwaraburg Spellas]]* (*Tales of Caunterbury*) geþrycede he in 1478.

## History
ƿihtig tēoƿe for ðære getimbrunge þæs umborunges of Middelenglisc spræc of Ænglisc spræc sind ðā *[[Ormulum]]* (12th century), the *[[Ancrene Wisse]]* and the Katherine Group (early 13th century) and *[[Ayenbite of Inwyt]]* (ca. 1340).

## Gramer
Mid his gesundodan cas-endunge, þæs grames of Middelenglisc spræc is mycele nearo to þæs of nūtīd Englisc þonne þæs of Ænglisc spræc. To ðam begetan wið oðrum þæm ðēodiscum gierelicum, hit is ƿēnlicor seofon þæm to þæm of nūtīd Ƿestfrisisc, ān of Engliscra nīehstena maga.

## Gewrit on Middelenglisce

### Ormulum, 12. gearhund
This passage explains the background to the Nativity:
:

### Epitaph of John the smyth, died 1371

An epitaph from a monumental brass in an Oxfordshire parish church:
:

### Wycliffes Biblioþece, 1384
From the Wycliffe's Bible, (1384):

### Chaucer, 1390s
The following is the beginning of the general Prologue from *[[The Canterbury Tales]]* by Geoffrey Chaucer. The text  was written in  a dialect associated with London and spellings associated with the then-emergent Chancery Standard.





### Gower, 1390
The following is the beginning of the Prologue from *[[Confessio Amantis]]* by John Gower.





## Fruman

*Brunner, Karl (1962) *Abriss der mittelenglischen Grammatik*; 5. Auflage. Tübingen: M. Niemeyer (1st ed. Halle (Saale): M. Niemeyer, 1938)
*Brunner, Karl (1963) *An Outline of Middle English Grammar*; translated by Grahame Johnston. Oxford: Blackwell

## Utwearda hlencas
*A. L. Mayhew and Walter William Skeat. ''A Concise Dictionary of Middle English from A.D. 1150 to 1580''
*Middle English Glossary 
* With grammatical introduction, notes, and glossary.