Name: Putu Denny Mahardika (1301305089)

The Middle English Period

Middle English was the dominant and traditional spoken language form in many parts of England
during the Middle Ages. This period can be divided into 3 phases, The Early Middle English, Middle
English, and Late Middle English.
a. [1066-1204] The Early Middle English (Decline of English)
French (Norman) invasion (1066), William, Duke of Normandy's conquest and
unification of England, crowned king of England as William I, the Conqueror. Normans were
descendants of Danes living in northern France and spoke French influenced by Scandinavian.
French became the dominant language in England, spoken by the upper classes from 1066 until
late in the 14th century. English language was relegated to the lower classes and was heavily
influenced by French in matters of vocabulary, prosody, and spelling.
b. [1204-1348] Middle English (Rise of English)
King John (John Lackland) loss of Normandy in 1204; beginnings of the political and
cultural separation between England and France. Many Norman landholders chose to stay in
England, spoke Anglo-French dialect.
c. [1348-1509] Late Middle English (Dominance of English)
English became official language of legal proceedings; everyone in England spoke
English by end of 14th Century, displacing French, Norse, and Celtic languages.
Characteristic of Literary works in this period written did not change radically until the effects of
the Renaissance and Reformed Christianity became more apparent in the reign of King Henry VIII. There
are two main categories of Middle English Literature: Religious and courtly love.
There are some of the most prominent writer in this period:

Bacon, Roger (1214-1294) English philosopher and scientist. Bacon is one of the most
prominent figures in 13th century scholastic philosophy. He carried out much
experimental research on all branches of knowledge accessible at the time including
grammar and logic along with mathematics and moral philosophy.
Caxton, William (1422-1491) a merchant and later a writer who set up the first printing
press in England in 1476. Caxton himself prepared some translations of works in Latin
and French.
Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1340-1400) the major poet of England in the late Middle Ages and
the most significant writer before Shakespeare.
Coverdale, Miles (c. 1488-1569) [religious writing] One of the main translators of the
Bible in the 16th century.