Middle English facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Middle English |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englisch, Inglis, English | ||||
A page from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
|
||||
| Region | England, some parts of Wales, south east Scotland and Scottish burghs, to some extent Ireland | |||
| Era | developed into Early Modern English, Scots, and Yola and Fingallian in Ireland by the 16th century | |||
| Language family |
Indo-European
|
|||
| Early forms: |
Old English
|
|||
|
||||
Middle English was a form of the English language spoken a long time ago. It was used in England from about 1066 to the late 1400s. This period started after the Norman invasion, when William the Conqueror took over England.
Before Middle English, people spoke Old English. After the Normans arrived, French became very important. For a few hundred years, English was not taught in schools. During this time, many French words became part of the English language.
Contents
How English Changed
Middle English was a mix of Old English and French influences. It also had many different ways of being spoken, called dialects, depending on where you lived in England.
The Printing Press and New English
In the 1470s, a special way of speaking English in London became very popular. This was called the Chancery Standard. It became more common partly because William Caxton brought the printing press to England around this time.
The printing press made it easier to print books. This helped to spread the London way of speaking and writing English. The English spoken from the 1470s until about 1650 is known as Early Modern English.
Famous Middle English Writer
One of the most famous writers in Middle English was Geoffrey Chaucer. He wrote a very well-known book called The Canterbury Tales. This book tells stories about a group of people traveling together.
Images for kids
-
The different ways Middle English was spoken around 1300.
See also
In Spanish: Inglés medio para niños
