answersLogoWhite

0

Old English, also known as Anglo-Saxon, was the language spoken in England from the Germanic invasions in the 5th century until the twelfth century. To a modern reader it looks like a foreign language, and it shares many features with German, including a four-case noun declension, grammatical gender, and strong and weak adjective declensions. An example of a text in Old English is the anonymous epic poem Beowulf, which begins: Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon

hu ða æþelingas Ellen fremedon.

Middle English, which developed from Old English with significant influece from Norman French, was spoken between the twelfth century and the great vowel shift, which began in the mid-fifteenth century. Middle English had a simplified grammar and a much more familiar look, but it would have sounded quite different from modern English by virtue of its vowels, which still had their European values (e.g., long 'i' was pronounced like modern English long 'e', as in French or Spanish). A representative Middle English text is Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales:

Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote,

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in switch licour

Of which virtu engendred is the flour . . .

Modern English is the form of English spoken since about the middle of the fifteenth century, encompassing both Shakespeare (Early Modern English, c. 1450-1650) and the contemporary language. A representative Early Modern English text is William Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIII:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date . . .

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

One significant difference between Old English and Middle English is that Middle English incorporates influences from?

French


What causes the differences between the Renaissance and the Middle English period?

The literature and science


One significant difference between Old English and Middle English is that Middle English incorporates influences from what?

Middle English incorporates influences from French.


What is the difference between Middle English and Olde English?

old English comes mainly from the angles of Germany but middle English has french influences from the Norman conquest


What is middle age in English literature?

In English literature, middle age typically refers to the period of life between youth and old age, often characterized by maturity, responsibilities, and self-reflection. Middle age is a common theme in literature, explored through the lens of characters navigating challenges such as career changes, relationships, and societal expectations.


What is the difference between center and middle?

Is the same as the difference between middle and center


One significant difference between Old English and Middle English is that Middle English incorporates influences from .?

French


What was Geoffrey Chaucers nickname?

Geoffrey Chaucer's nickname was the "father of English literature" due to his significant contributions to English poetry during the Middle Ages.


English literature was a relatively recent development as most literature during the Old and early Middle English periods were in Latin or French true or false?

That answer is true.


What has the author Karl Steel written?

Karl Steel has written: '\\' -- subject(s): History and criticism, Religious satire, English (Middle), English literature, Misogyny in literature, English poetry


What has the author P S Jolliffe written?

P. S. Jolliffe has written: 'A check-list of Middle English prose writings of spiritual guidance' -- subject(s): Bibliography, Christian literature, English (Middle), Christianity, Civilization, Medieval, in literature, English prose literature, History of doctrines, Spiritual life


What has the author Carter F Hanson written?

Carter F. Hanson has written: 'Emigration, nation, vocation' -- subject(s): History and criticism, History, Class consciousness in literature, Vocation in literature, Immigrants in literature, Immigrants' writings, Canadian, British, English fiction, Middle class in literature, Middle class, Emigration and immigration in literature, National characteristics, English, in literature