- •Historical background from the 11τη to 15th c. Linguistic situation. Written records Plan
- •Literature
- •Economic and Social Conditions in the 11th-12th c.
- •Effect of the Scandinavian Invasions
- •The Norman Conquest
- •The Effect of the Norman Conquest on the Linguistic Situation
- •Early Middle English Dialects. Extension of English Territory
- •Early Middle English Written Records
- •Late Middle English. Reestablishment of English as the Language of the State and Literature
- •Dialects in Late Middle English. The London Dialect
- •Written Records in Late Middle English. The Age of Chaucer
- •Principal Middle English Written Records
LECTURE 10
Historical background from the 11τη to 15th c. Linguistic situation. Written records Plan
1. Economic and social conditions in the llth-12th c.
2. Effect of the Scandinavian invasions.
3. The Norman conquest.
4. Effect of the Norman conquest on the linguistic situation.
5. Early Middle English dialects. Extension of English territory.
6. Early Middle English written records.
7. Late Middle English. Reestablishment of English as the language of the state and literature.
8. Dialects in Late Middle English. The London dialect.
9. Written records in Late Middle English. The age of Chaucer.
10. Principal Middle English written records (Table).
Literature
Аракин И.Д. Очерки по истории английского языка. – М, 1955.
Бруннер К. История английского языка. Перев. с нем. – М.: Иностранная литература, т. I, II, 1956.
Верба Л.Г. Історія англійської мови. Посібник для студентів та викладачів вищих навчальних закладів. – Вінниця: НОВА КНИГА, 2006. – 296 с.
Введение в германскую филологию. Арсеньева М.Г., Балашова С.П., Берков В.П., Соловьева Л.Н. – М., 1980.
5. Иванова И. П., Беляева Т. М. Хрестоматия по истории английского языка. – Л., 1973.
Иванова И.П., Чахоян Л.П. История английского языка. – М., 1976
Ильиш Б.А. История английского языка. – Л., 1973.
Расторгуева Т.А. История английского языка. – М., 2005.
Смирницкий А.И. История английского языка. Курс лекций. – М., 1965.
Economic and Social Conditions in the 11th-12th c.
The OE period in the history of the language corresponds to the transitional stage from the slave-owning and tribal system to the feudal system in the history of Britain. In the 11th c. feudalism was already well established. According to a survey made in the late 11th c. slaves and freemen were declining classes. The majority of the agricultural population (and also of the total population, which amounted to about 2,000,000 people) were bound to their lord and land. Under natural economy, characteristic of feudalism, most of the things needed for the life of the lord and the villain were produced on the estate. Feudal manors were separated from their neighbours by tolls, local feuds, and various restrictions concerning settlement travelling and employment. These historical conditions produced a certain influence on the development of the language.
In Early ME the differences between the regional dialects grew. Never in history, before or after, was the historical background more favourable for dialectal differentiation. The main dialectal division in England, which survived in later ages with some slight modification of boundaries and considerable dialect mixture, goes back to the feudal stage of British history.
In the age of poor communication dialect boundaries often coincided with geographical barriers such as rivers, marshes, forests and mountains, as these barriers would hinder the diffusion of linguistic features. In addition to economic, geographical and social conditions, dialectal differences in Early ME were accentuated by some historical events, namely the Scandinavian invasions and the Norman Conquest.