Middelengels

Het Middelengels is een oude versie van de Engelse taal die tussen de Normandische invasie in 1066 en tot het einde van de 15e eeuw werd gesproken. Het Middelengels is de basis voor de tegenwoordige Engelse taal en ontwikkelde zich uit het Oudengels. De uitspraak was geheel anders (het kwam meer overeen met de schrijftaal), en het had ook nog 4 naamvallen.

Het verdween langzamerhand toen de Chancery Standard, de Londense versie van de taal, in de jaren rond 1470 opkwam. Dit kwam deels doordat de drukmachine ook in Engeland was geïntroduceerd. Hierdoor werd de schrijftaal meer en meer gestandaardiseerd.

  • Een beroemde schrijver die in deze taal schreef was Geoffrey Chaucer.

Voorbeeld

Een fragment uit de 'General Prologue' van Geoffrey Chaucers 'The Canterbury Tales' (1380-1400):

Middelengels
Whan that Aprill with his shoures sote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
And bathed euery veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe course yronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the niȝt with open ye—
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages—
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from euery shires ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The holy blissful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke.
Modern Engels
When April with its sweet showers
has pierced the drought of March to the root,
and bathed every vein in such liquor
from whose power the flower is engendered;
when Zephyr [the west wind] also, with his sweet breath
has blown [into life] in every wood and heath
the tender crops, and the young sun
has run his half-course in the sign of the Ram [Aries],
and small fowls make melody,
who sleep all night with open eye
- so Nature stimulates them in their hearts
- THEN people long to go on pilgrimages,
and palmers [pilgrims carrying palm leaves] to seek strange strands [coastlines],
to far [distant] saints [holy places], known in various lands;
and specially, from every shire's end [from every county]
in England, to Canterbury they wend [go; went comes from "wend"],
to seek the holy blissful martyr [Thomas à Becket]
who helped them when they were sick.

Zie ook

  • Middelengelse literatuur
Incubator
Zie de Wikipedia-test in het Middelengels op de Wikimedia Incubator.
· · Sjabloon bewerken
Oeuvre van Geoffrey Chaucer
Canterbury Tales:General Prologue · The Knight's Tale · The Miller's Tale · The Reeve's Tale · The Cook's Tale · The Man of Law's Tale · The Wife of Bath's Tale · The Friar's Tale · The Summoner's Tale · The Clerk's Tale · The Merchant's Tale · The Squire's Tale · The Franklin's Tale · The Physician's Tale · The Pardoner's Tale · The Shipman's Tale · The Prioress's Tale · Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas · The Tale of Melibee · The Monk's Tale · The Nun's Priest's Tale · The Second Nun's Tale · The Canon's Yeoman's Tale · The Manciple's Tale · The Parson's Tale · Chaucer's Retraction
Ander werk:The Book of the Duchess · The House of Fame · Anelida and Arcite · Parliament of Fowls · Boece · The Romaunt of the Rose · Troilus and Criseyde · The Legend of Good Women · Treatise on the Astrolabe
Korte gedichten:An ABC · The Complaint unto Pity · A Complaint to his Lady · The Complaint of Mars · The Complaint of Venus · To Rosemounde · Womanly Noblesse · Chaucers Wordes unto Adam, His Owne Scriveyn · The Former Age · Fortune · Truth · Gentilesse · Lak of Stedfastnesse · Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan · Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton · The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse · Proverbs
Taal en tekst:Middelengels · Ellesmere Chaucer-manuscript · Hengwrt Chaucer-manuscript · Adam Pinkhurst