The Evolution of Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives in Middle English
This text explores the grammatical transformations during the transition from Old English (OE) to Middle English (ME), focusing on nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. It details changes in case systems, gender distinctions, and declensions, particularly how possessive forms and dual pronouns evolved. It also highlights phonetic shifts, such as the pronunciation of stressed OE vowels and the emergence of new diphthongs. Additionally, the text emphasizes the simplification of adjective agreement and the developmental journey of articles from demonstrations to uninflected forms.
The Evolution of Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives in Middle English
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Presentation Transcript
ME Grammar Noun, pronoun, adjective
Noun • Case • Gender • Declension
Case system • fiscas (OE Nom/Acc. Plural of a-stem) • fishes (ME Nom/Acc. Plural but also Genitive and Dative)
OE –es ending (a-stem Sing., Gen., M/N) • Possessive case: Arthur his men – Arthur’s men • His→ is → - s
Question on ME phonetics • Variant 1 • 1) How did the pronunciation of the following stressed OE vowels change in ME: [ā], [æ:], [æ], [ü]? • Variant 2 • 1) Which new diphthongs appeared as the result of vocalization of [w, , ’]?
Question on ME phonetics Variant 1 2) What was the general tendency in the development of the OE diphthongs? Variant 2 2) How did the spelling of the OE words cēpan, cīld, cumenchange?
Variant 1 3) In which position did the stressed OE vowels become long in ME? Variant 2 3) In which position did the stressed OE vowels become short in ME?
The Adjective • It lost all its grammatical categories with the exception of the degrees of comparison. • The agreement of the adjective with the noun was practically lost during ME. • The 1st category to disappear was gender, which ceased to be distinguished in the 11th century.
The category of number was expressed with the ending –e • The distinctions of strong and weak declension is only obvious in the singular • Strong – good, Weak – goode • By the XV the ending –e disappeared • The adjective turned into an uninflected part of speech.
Degrees of comparison • OE –raME –re → –er • OE –est/ -ostME –est • The only adjective with the root vowel interchange in ME is ‘old’ • A new means for the formation of the degrees of comparison – analytical: with the help of ‘more’ and ‘most’.
Pronoun Personal pronouns • the loss of dual number • The genitive case > possessive pronouns • Accusative + Dative = Objective
hēo (3rd, Sing, Fem.) she they with its oblique forms them, their my (+cons.), myn(+vowel).
Demonstrative pronouns • In Early ME the OE demonstrative pronouns lost most of their inflected forms. • This/that • This – thise (thes(e)) • That – tho (thos(e))
Interrogative • The paradigm of hwā • Who (Nom.) • Whom (Objective) • The genitive case of hwā – hwæs, developed into a separate interrogative pronoun whose • OE hwi (instrumental case) – ME hwy
Indefinite pronouns • Most indefinite pronouns of the OE period simplified their morphological structure and some of them fell out of use • OE ǣƷhwelc – ME eech • OE þyslic – ME such • OE nān-þinƷ – ME nothing • OE demonstrative and interrogative pronouns became a source of a new type of pronouns - relative
Development of articles • The definite article developed on the basis of demonstrative pronouns sē, sēo, þæt. • In OE they were used as noun determiners
During ME there was an important formal difference between the demonstrative pronoun and the definite article • The demonstrative pronoun had the number distinction, while the definite article acquired the weakened form the, and became uninflected.
Indefinite article • It developed from the OE numeral and indefinite pronoun ān • In the 13th c. - oone/one and their reduced form an/a are used in all regions
