Language: Middle English

Language: Middle English

The Canterbury Tales is written in Middle English and it is important in understanding the development of the Modern English Language. Middle English was the common language spoken during the Middle Ages. Before Middle English, the language was Anglo-Saxon. When the Norman army invaded England, they changed the English language. Most documents were written in either Latin, French, or Italian, but Middle English drew from these languages with Anglo-Saxon as their root-language. It was Latin for clergy, French for the ruling classes, and English for the common man. Middle English, then, is a mixture of languages spoken. Because the British had contact with many people over the world, this contact effected language, including vocabulary, and pronunciation. It is interesting to see which culture dominated the language of other cultures, and which language was lost because of the conquest. Language can also help identify class status. For, French was only spoken in the court "upper class," and Middle English was the language of the "common" people. Many books were written in French and Italian because these were popular languages. Commoners would not be able to read these works. So including all these facts, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a work written in Middle English, which suggests that he wrote the work for the common man. Commoners who could read and write would be able to understand his work. However, there was not printing press available, so the cost of having a manuscript would be outrageous. A commoner would not be able to afford to read Chaucer's tales, despite the fact that they could read the manuscript in their own language. We must begin to ask the question, why was there a sudden need to write in English vernacular? Was it to preserve the English language? Were writers afraid that their language would be lost? was the manuscript written for? Writers in the 12th and 13th century decided to write in vernacular language, rather than in French and Latin. This idea of writing in common language became a tradition, and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is the most popular work that showcases Middle English language. This could be one reason why the tales were written by hand so elaborately, and why so many of the manuscripts were written. The manuscript is a historical piece that shows the history of our English language--Middle English, before Modern English.

Why was the manuscript created if Chaucer died with it unfinished? One reason can be that the language structure during the Middle Ages was changing. There must have been a demand for texts to be written in English, which is why Canterbury Tales is so important, not only for its beautiful illumination, but for its written language. In The Ellemere Manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury tales, Schultz highlights the way in which a manuscript is written for a purpose: "the stationer would be compelled to minimize his dependence on artists and illuminators in the preparation of English manuscripts and would call upon their serious efforts only when a specially commissioned volume was planned for some person of wealth and importance" (p.40). Since a manuscript could take years to develop, the thought of writing and illuminating the Canterbury Tales, suggests that the story was important before the scribes began to prepare the manuscript.