The Forms of Middle English Generated by the Interplay of English, French and Latin

Abstract

Middle English (ME) is the term used to describe the varieties of English spoken and written from about 1100 to about 1500. ME differed from OE in terms of its status and function. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the OE written standard, Late West Saxon, gradually fell into disuse. Latin took over from English the documentary functions of the medieval state, and French, the language of the conquerors, at first competed with English as the language of literary culture. Of course, English continued to be employed both in speech and in writing. Indeed, there is much more surviving written ME than OE material, and English not only remained the primary spoken language of the vast majority of the population of England but also was rapidly adopted by the descendants of the Norman-French invaders. However, in writing at least, the function of English was for much of the period a local one, catering for local literary tastes and used for the contemporary equivalent of primary education.