Week 14

Question 1

5 main dialects

Answer 1

1. northern (Reeve)
2. east-midland
3. west-midland
4. south
5. Kentish (often with voiced consonants instead of voiceless)

Question 2

Why dialectal differences between manuscripts

Answer 2

scribes translate in their own dialect

Question 3

3rd person pronouns

Answer 3

North: thorn
Middle: th (east middle: also H)
South (+kent): H

Question 4

Shall in dialects

Answer 4

North: sal
East: shal
South: schal

Question 5

3rd person singular inflection (present)

Answer 5

North: -es
South: -eth
Middle: both

Question 6

3rd person plural inflexion (present)

Answer 6

North: -es
East: -en and -es
South: -eth
West: -en and -eth

Question 7

Present participle

Answer 7

North: -and(e)
East: -end(e)
South: -yng(e)
West: -ind(e)

Question 8

Weak/Strong inflexions

Answer 8

Only in the south with an -e

Question 9

Additional dialect aspects

Answer 9

North: s, a, k, f
East: s/sh, o, ch, f
South: sh, o, ch, f/v
West: sh, o, ch, v

Question 10

Isogloss

Answer 10

line that differentiates on a dialect map

Question 11

Dot maps

Answer 11

Anchor maps
Fit technique
Different size dots for dominance

Question 12

Standardisation: why London

Answer 12

• politically and commercially important
• seat of royal and law courts
• close to Oxbridge and Canterbury
• people moving in and out
• mixture of local speeches that spread easily

Question 13

Standardisation: Why SE midland dialect

Answer 13

in-between North and South

Area=big and highly populated

Question 14

Caxton

Answer 14

guy from printing press
he translated in Kentish but ppl didn’t understand so he switched
instrumental in spreading of standard language

Question 15

Chaucer’s language

Answer 15

DID NOT evolve to standard (he was a little conservative and posh)
dialectal variants for rhyme purposes and characterisation