Reading Middle English – some points to help you get started
vowels, as these are quite interchangeable in Middle English: “wol”, for
example, means will, and “werste” means worst. There are several other
letters that are frequently interchangeable: u/v; i/j; i/y; y/g. And as for
the letters that are completely unfamiliar, the letter þ (thorn) is the same
sound as “th”, whilst 3 (yogh) is equivalent to either “y”, “gh” or “g” (or
occasionally “z”).
“... ther is so gret diversite
In Englissh and in writyng of oure tonge ...”
(Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde, V.1793 – 1794)
Middle English is a catch-all term to describe the many varieties of
English which were spoken between the Norman Conquest (1066) and the
early sixteenth century. We will be reading Middle English literature
written in several dialects in our translation classes: the North-West
Midlands dialect of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; the South-West
Midlands dialect of Piers Plowman; and the London English of Chaucer’s
Troilus and Criseyde. These are all poems from the second half of the
fourteenth century.
Here are some other basic points to bear in mind when reading Middle
English:
For our first translation class you should all prepare lines 1 to 150 of
Book III of Troilus and Criseyde. This poem is one of the texts you will
eventually be asked to translate from in your Part I Paper I exam.
Please make your translation from the edition in the Riverside Chaucer as
the text is sometimes different in other versions. This edition also has a
full glossary at the back of the book, which you will find you need to
consult frequently, whenever you come across a word you don’t recognise.
Don’t worry if it seems to take a long time at first, and you feel like you’re
looking up every other word: it will gradually get easier! You will find it
very useful to make a list of unfamiliar words which you can then learn
off by heart. It may sound mechanical, but it will make reading and
translating much less mechanical and a lot more fun. For words that seem
particularly important, or when you are unsure of the meaning, you might
want to look at the glossary in the Book of Middle English (edited by J.A.
Burrow and Thorlac Turville-Petre), or to look at the Middle English
Dictionary (in the English Faculty Library, or online – go to the University
Library website, look under the Electronic Resources for English, and
select the Middle English Compendium).

Many verbs use a reflexive pronoun, which refers back to the
subject of the verb, eg. “dressed hym upward”: lifted himself up
(Tr. III, 71); “ruthes hym”: rouses himself (Gaw. 1558).

Double negatives emphasize the point, rather than cancelling one
another out as they do in Modern English, eg. “N’y nyl forbere”:
Nor will I desist from (Tr. III, 173); “Ne non euel on nawther
halve”: Nor any wrong on either side (Gaw. 1552)

Contractions – pronouns and negatives can become part of a
verb, eg. “ravestow” [=ravest thou]: are you raving? (PP. XVIII,
187); “I not” [=ne woot]: I do not know (Tr. III, 121); “he nolde”
[=ne wolde]: he would not (Gaw. 1661).
To get you started on your lists of vocabulary, here are a few extremely
common words which might throw you:
Pronouns
ich
he
ho, heo
hem
hym
hit
me
hir, her
However, Middle English is quite close to Modern English and before
looking up a word in the glossary, it is always worth seeing whether you
know it already. Try imagining the word as being spelt with different
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I
he
she
them (themselves); occasionally him
him, them (himself, themselves)
it
can mean it, him, her (self)
her, their
Reading Middle English – some points to help you get started
Conjunctions
ac
al
and
as
but
eke
for
so
ther
though
what
Learning to read Middle English will allow you to read some wonderful
works of literature in the language in which they were written, and I hope
you will enjoy them as much as I do. Good luck with the translation, and
do bring any questions it raises to the translation class. I look forward to
seeing you all after the vacation.
but
although, even if
and / if
so / as if, if / for example / since
but / unless, except
also
because / in spite of
how much / as /since
there / where / while / so that
if / though
what / that / why
The passages which are currently set for translation in the exam are
Troilus and Criseyde, Book 3, ll. 1 – 1414; Piers Plowman, B-Text, Passus
18; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, ll. 1535 – 1997. In our translation
classes we will be looking at selections from each of these three texts. The
English Faculty also offers lectures taking you through issues in
translating the whole of these passages which you should attend. In the
Paper 1 exam you will be required to translate about 15 lines from each
poem. There are past papers in the English Faculty Library and probably in
your college library as well.
I will be teaching these translation classes primarily to help you with
practical reading and translating of these texts. However, if any of you are
interested in learning about the rules of Middle English grammar and
syntax in a more formal way, there is a good introduction in Chapters 4
and 5 of J.A.Burrow and Thorlac Turville Petre, A Book of Middle
English. Also, their introductions to extracts from the Gawain-poet, Piers
Plowman and Chaucer provide a useful guide to each author’s
idiosyncracies. There are copies of the Book of Middle English in the
English Faculty Library. There is also a guide to Chaucer’s grammar and
syntax on pages xxv – xxxviii of the Riverside Chaucer. However, I
should emphasize that most English students, myself included, learn to
read Middle English simply by practice: reading and learning vocabulary.
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