LNG 201/ENGL 202
Prof. G. Steinberg
Middle English

Examine the following sample of Middle English.

  1. Translate as much of the passage into Modern English as you can.  Don't worry about any words or phrases that you cannot translate.  Translate as much as you can.  Your translation need not be polished and perfect.

  2. Choose a sentence and look up all the words in that sentence in the Oxford English Dictionary (or another dictionary that gives detailed etymologies for words).  How many words in the sentence you've chosen are Norman French in origin?  How many are Old English in origin?  How many are Latin in origin?  (If you can't find an archaic word in your dictionary, just leave it out.)  Click here to go to the online Oxford English Dictionary.

  3. Look at the Middle English.  How does it differ from Modern English in terms of orthography (spelling, punctuation, format, etc.)?  Note every detailed difference that you can.

  4. How does Middle English differ from Modern English in terms of syntax (word order, prepositions, articles, etc.)?  Note every sentence or phrase that isn't in the word order that you would expect in Modern English.  What connector words (conjunctions, adverbial transitions) are used in the passage?

  5. How does the Middle English differ from Modern English in terms of lexicon?  What words in the passage are not used in Modern English at all?  What words in the passage are used in Modern English but differently from the way they're used in the passage?

  6. How does the Middle English differ from Modern English in terms of inflections?  Look especially at verbs.  Do some verbs have inflectional endings on them that we no longer use in Modern English?

This Emperour Prestre Iohn holt full gret lond and hath many full noble cytees and gode townes in his royalme and many grete dyuerse yles and large.  For all the contree of Ynde is deuysed in yles for the grete flodes žat comen from Paradys žat departen all the lond in many parties, and also in the see he hath full manye yles.  And the beste cytee in the yle of Pentexoire is Nyse žat is full ryall cytee and a noble and full riche.  This Prestre Iohn hath vnder him many kynges and many yles and the lond of the grete Chane.  For the marchauntes comen not thider so comounly for to bye marchandises as žei don in the lond of the gret Chane, for it is to fer to trauaylle to.

Click here to go to the course syllabus.