Middle English: Grammar

Question 1

How did the grammatical system change during the Middle English period?

Answer 1

• Change from synthetic to analytic language
• Reduction of vowels
• Loss of unstressed syllables at the end of words
• Reduction/ Loss of inflectional endings
• Fixed order of words in the sentence
• More prepositions were used

Question 2

Nouns
- Simplification of declension classes in Middle English

Answer 2

OE: various classes of nouns: a-declension, consonant declension, etc.
Phonological Erosion of endings
Example: house in ME

Question 3

Plural

Answer 3

Different plurals of OE also used in Middle English
Plural in -en: ox-oxen, child-children
Other plural forms:
- Vowel change: feet, geese, mice
- Zero plural: sheep, deer

> inflectional pattern no longer productive: irregular

Question 4

Common change in plural formation: Adaption of strong paradigm

Answer 4

Some nouns change class and become regular

• Old English: nama - naman
• Middle English: name - names

> Morphological Analogy

Question 5

Adjectives in Middle English

Answer 5

Most adjectives have no difference between strong and weak declension

Question 6

Adjectives in Middle English
- exception

Answer 6

• strong and weak declension only in adjectives with one syllable ending in a consonant (e.g. yong = young)
• no difference in case
• Only difference in number (singular - plural)
  stong and weak declension
  Singular: yong (strong), yonge (weak)
  Plural: yonge (stong), yonge (weak)

Question 7

Strong Verbs

Answer 7

> Simplification of inflections
Only three forms for a strong verb in ME
Only one form for the past

Question 8

Strong Verbs: becoming weak/regular

Answer 8

> many strong OE verbs developed a weak/regular past form in ME
= Morphological Analogy

Question 9

The English pronoun system

Answer 9

> Different forms, but no inflectional endings
Rather suppletive paradigm
Relevant grammatical categories (Person, Number, Case)

Question 10

Pronouns: contrasting OE/ME to ModE
- 1st Person

Answer 10

Question 11

Pronouns: contrasting OE/ME to ModE
- 2nd Person

Answer 11

Question 12

Pronouns: changes during ME <she>
- 3rd Person</she>

Answer 12

Question 13

Pronouns: changes during ME <they, them, their>
- 3rd Person

Answer 13

Question 14

1. Which forms in the declension system of Middle English nouns exist?

Question 15

2. Give the verb forms of a verb in Old English and in Middle English!

Question 16

3. Which pronounce from the North-Germanic languages were introduced into the English language, and why?

Question 17

4.1. Identify the verbs in the examples! Determine which verb forms are weak and which are strong!

a) He WALKED in the feeldes, for to prye (gaze).
b) That in a forste faste he WELK to wepe.

Answer 17

walk
a) walked - weak from
- dental suffix
b) welk - strong form
- no dental suffix, but vowel gradation

Question 18

4.2. Identify the verbs in the examples! Determine which verb forms are weak and which are strong!

c) Therwith he WEEP that pitee was to heere.
d) But soore (sorely) WEPTE she if oon (one) of hem (them) were deed.

Answer 18

weep
c) weep - strong form
- no dental suffix
d) wepte - weak form
- dental suffix

Question 19

4.3. Identify the verbs in the examples! Determine which verb forms are weak and which are strong!

e) But fort he moore (greater) part they LOUGHE and pleyde.
f) For he had LAWGHED, had he loured (frowned).

Answer 19

laufge
e) loughe - strong form
- no dental suffix
f) lawghed - weak form
- dental suffix