Middle English Essay

1304 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chaucer canterbury tales middle english

Middle English (1100 AD to 1500 AD)

The year 1066 is one of the most important years in the history of the English language. This is the year that the Normans invaded England. The Normans were a group of people who lived on the other side of the English Channel. Though the people of the area originally spoke a variation of the Scandinavian languages, eventually, the group learned French as Edward the Confessor brought French language into his court in Normandy. In January 1066, the English king died without an heir, so the Norman king at the time, William the Conqueror decided to invade England and by December of the same year, he was crowned King of England. Within 30 years of his crowning, most of the land was owned by the Normans as William …show more content…

These towns usually had wealthy landowners living in lesser populated areas between the larger towns. By the end of the 14th Century, French was the language of the educated, especially lawyers, the churches, and the courts, but English was the language of the people. By the 1500s, when another shift occurred, Middle English was an amalgam of French and English, with French as the language of style, substance, and education, but English was the language of the people and of the written word. There are several interesting texts that display Middle English in all of its glory. They include The Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Piers …show more content…

The factors included the printing press, education, desire and means of communication, language awareness, and specialized skills and knowledge. As these educated, well-read people who wanted to communicate realized that there needed to be consistency in the language, so in the mid-1500’s, the Elizabethans developed a common spelling practice (with some variations). One of the first rules of spelling was the role of the final e in words like made, fine, and hope. One of the most influential people in the standardization of the English language was Richard Mulcaster who argued that phonetic spelling would not work for English, so he developed many of the rules that we continue to use today. He dropped unnecessary letters in words like ledd, grubb, or putt. He also developed the difference between words that ended in -ie or -y. While over 7,000 of his spelling suggestions were adopted, there were others that were

Show More
Related

  • battle of hastings recruiting

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    October 14th of the year 1066 two armies faced each other near the town of Hastings. 10,000 Norman troops under the command of William of Normandy faced 8,000 Anglo-Saxon soldiers led by Harold the current king of England.

    Read More

  • William The Conqueror Dbq

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    William, I was king of England after conquering it during the battle of Hastings thus gaining the title 'William The Conqueror'. He changed the lifestyle, language, and culture of England during his reign. He suffered through violence from a young age and survived the constant threat from rebels and others seeking power. He conquered out of anger and friendship.

    Read More

  • 1066: Year Of The Conquest

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    1066: The Year of the Conquest, written by David Howarth, tells of one of the most important dates in the history of England. In 1066, William the Conqueror and William of Orange fought the historical Battle of Hastings. The outcome of this battle lead to many changes to the English people. The Norman people became assimilated into the English way of life. Howarth proceeds to tell the tale of the Battle of Hastings through the eyes on a common Englishman.

    Read More

  • William the Conqueror

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    October 14th 1066 he and William fought at the famous battle of Hastings. William and his army of Normans came, saw, and conquered. True to his promise to his fellow warriors, William systematically replaced the English nobility with Norman barons and noblemen who took control of the land, the people, and the government.

    Read More

  • William the Conqueror Life and Accomplishments

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been many influential influences to the English culture throughout its hundreds of years of existence, but there was one man who arguably was one of the most important figures to have ever changed the course of English culture forever. This man was no inventor who sparked a new age, nor an artist who introduced a romantic theme. Shockingly, this man was not even of English descent, but rather a conqueror from a foreign land. He is most well known as William the Conqueror and the date 1066, is remembered as the year of his arrival to Anglo-Saxon England when he began the famous Norman invasion. This alien invader to the British island was a Duke in the northern region of France. To be more specific, he was the Duke of Normandy, a province of France whose culture was descended from the Norse influence of Vikings. In a series of tactfully genius military battles, William the Conqueror captured the English throne. Few figures in history can boast of conquering an entire nation and even less can claim that they kept control and influenced their new lands. After his invasion and being crowned king of England, William began to dig into England like a tick and his Norman culture spread. William had pulled off an amazing feat through his invasion in England and as well as his earlier life when he rose to power in Normandy which allowed him to embark on such rigorous campaign.

    Read More

  • Middle Passage Essay

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    In accordance to African American writer Margaret Walker’s quote that talks about African Americans still having their African past intact despite slavery and racism, immigration indeed affected cultural ways. The interconnection of the trans-Atlantic world brought about the rise of new cultures, music and expressions that were to be held by future generations, which is now the population of African American people. This paper will research on the middle passage and the early American slavery and how African tried to resist.

    Read More

  • anglo saxons essay

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Butler Yeats stated that, “Supreme are is a traditional statement of certain heroic and religious truths, passed on from age to age….” When he said this, he is most definitely talking about the Anglo-Saxon era and their style of writing. The Anglo-Saxons were very into warriors and heroes and how heir stories are handed down from generation to generation. When these stories were written down, monks wrote them down. The monks then added parts about God and the heavens, and about all the religious facts they could. Thus mixing the warrior and heroic mentality with the religious faith of the Christians.

    Read More

  • Middle Vs. Modern English in the Canterbury Tales

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    As its name suggests, Middle English is the language that was spoken in the country of England around the 12th to 15th centuries. Middle English became the prominent language in England near the end of the 11th century shortly after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066. Unlike England's preceding language, Old English, Middle English evolved into much more of a written language. There were many writers and educated English scholars who worked to translate Old English texts into the new Middle English language. There were also writers, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, who used the Middle English language to write new works which employed new and creative literary techniques. One such work, The Canterbury Tales, is a work that has been recognized as having an extreme significance on the development of the Middle English language. This work is argued to be the greatest literary contribution to the Middle English language and is credited with popularizing the language among literary scholars. However, despite its historical influence on the Middle English language, the significance of the work is less seen today because of the evolution of Modern English. As a result, it is important to investigate the origins of this work and in so doing, make an effort to realize the overall importance of reading the text in its original Middle English language.

    Read More

  • Victorian Age Essay

    2214 Words  | 5 Pages

    During the time that Charles Dickens lived, which was during the Victorian Age (1837-1901), “...1837 ( the year Victoria became Queen) and ends in 1901 in ( the year of her death),” (UNLV 1). It is important to realize that the Victoria’s reign over Britain is the second longest reign in British history, lasting for 63 years, only behind that of the current Queen Elizabeth. Many historians consider 1900 the end of the Victorian Age, “...since Queen Victoria’s death occurred so soon in the beginning of a new century,..” (UNLV 1). Even though Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and died in 1870, the Victorian Age is time period which most, maybe all, of his literature were published/read in. This era is often considered as “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy, and narrow-minded” (UNLV 2), because during this time, there were classes animosities between the “common man” and that of what was considered the “gentleman”, which was like as if they were two different species (Orwell 3.5). The advancement in literature during this period also was important, “...primarily financial, as in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations…marrying above one’s station, as in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre...[it] may also be intellectual or education-based,” (UNLV 4). Without the literature advancements, the Victorian Age wouldn’t have made such an impact on the world as it did literary-wise.

    Read More

  • Literature In The 17th Century Essay

    2331 Words  | 5 Pages

    The attitude towards literature in the 17th century was divided among society. There was the opinion of the religious leaders who believed that literature was corrupted. Literature in their eyes will lead society to regress. On the other hand, we have writers such as Philip Sidney, Thomas Browne, and Francis Bacon who argued that literature was beneficial to society. In hindsight, we can see that the religious leaders were wrong. History serves as perfect evidence as to how literature helped society advance in positive ways instead of regressing. Philip Sidney was best known for his literature piece, The Defense of Poesy. Sidney believed that literature unlike history allowed societies to make connections with reality, as well as allowing

    Read More

  • Development of the English Language

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Invasion in the 9th century by Scandinavians, who settled in the north of England and the establishment of Danelaw in 886 AD defining the area governed by the Danes in the north and east, had a marked effect on the language spoken there (Beal, J. 2012, p. 59). These periods are known as Early and Later Old English (Beal, J. 2012, p. 50). The Norman invasion of 1066 AD began a period of two centuries in which French was the official language of England, resulting in the introduction of many words with French or Latin roots, such as 'baron', 'justice' and 'government' (Beal, J. 2012, p. 64). English was first used in Parliament in 1362 AD and gradually displaced French (Appendix I, in Seargeant, J and Swann, J.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare Essay

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the sixteenth century, the Globe Theater was a magnificent structure that housed the most famous plays. For a writer to have his work performed at the Globe was considered an incredible accomplishment. Shakespeare’s originality set him apart from others during his time and led him to the Globe Theater, where he came upon a tremendous amount of success. As with the rest of England, the Globe Theater flourished during the Elizabethan era, also known as the “Golden Age” representing ideals such as prestige, fame, and achievement. From this time period, notable politicians, orators, tacticians, and musicians evolved into more prominent figures of society. William Shakespeare has influenced the literary world today, although he lived many centuries ago. Much of Shakespeare’s life is unknown, but he developed his success in London, England where he became an actor and playwright. Through the Globe Theater Shakespeare was able to show some of his greatest works and make himself a household name. (William Shakespeare 1).

    Read More

  • American English Essay

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Several European immigrants are reported to have arrived in America during the 19th century and early 20th century. Notably, the first wave of these European immigrants is believed to have begun in the late 1820s largely sustained by the unrest in Britain. This wave of migration went on for almost a decade highly attracted by the dreams of creating a model utopian American society. This is in turn closely associated to some extent with the development of the American English. European immigrants immensely contributed to the development of American life and more specifically American English. Today, American English has become an omnipresent phenomenon in every aspect of the American society. British English, the main source of American English

    Read More

  • Standardization Of The English Language

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Written London English of the close of the fourteenth century as used by a number of Middle English authors, such as John Gower and Geoffrey Chaucer, had not achieved the status of a regional standard but was soon to become the basis for a new national literary standard of English. It is the language of the capital. Geographically, it occupies a position midway between the extreme North and the extreme South. Already by 1430, this new standard had assumed a relatively mature form. It was spread throughout England by professional clerks in the administrative apparatus of the country and also became the model for business and private correspondence in English.

    Read More

  • Victorian Era Essay

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Queen Victoria's reign in England, ideals and the very thought of going against the “current” was born and passed along, embellishing into our mainstream personal views on practically everything. Throughout her reign of 64 years, till her death in 1901, England saw changes that changed their own way of doing things, their own way of thinking and refining their views to the point where it represented their work and no one could disagree with them. It was during her successful reign in England that incomprehensible things took place that changed history within such fields and specialties as art, literature, music, philosophy, sciences, and modern inventions. It is because of this time period, known as the Victorian Era, we have many of the modern conveniences, ideas, philosophies, and knowledge that we enjoy, and take for granted, on a daily basis. This period bridged the gap from the dark and medieval ages to our present and productive day. Authors, playwrights, and philosophers documented the changes that society underwent during the Victorian era. Oscar Wilde’s The importance of being earnest and even Charles Dicken’s works have included these such changes in society. This would not have come about without the influence of the ideas and works of several people from Britain, living under

    Read More

More about Middle English Essay

Open Document