Offical English Grammar and Vocab Rules Need ta be Updated

[Angela]

Yep. I've read around five Middle English texts online and they all appear to be almost exactly the same as modern English. Going back to the discussion I had with Angela, the only exception are the Shakespeare plays. Other Shakespeare writings though are easy to understand. The reason I think is he used a lot of clever language, puns, slang, intentionally odd, and non-literal language.

It's called poetry, basically. The punning and slang is usually, although not exclusively, limited to certain specific sections of the play, and was meant to amuse the "groundlings".

See the following:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare/language

Audio file on Shakespeare's language:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/rscmedia03/multimedia/audio/michael-pennington-language.mp3

As to the Middle English texts, I've told you and I've told you that either the texts you're reading are not from the "Middle English" period, or many of them have been translated.

If you don't believe me, please go read this article:
http://www.bardweb.net/language.html

"Although the Elizabethan dialect differs slightly from Modern English, the principles are generally the same. There are some (present day) anomalies with prepositional usage and verb agreement, and certainly a number of Shakespeare's words have shifted meanings or dropped, with age, from the present vocabulary. Word order, as the language shifted from Middle to Early Modern English, was still a bit more flexible, and Shakespeare wrote dramatic poetry, not standard prose, which gave some greater license in expression. However, Elizabethan remains a sibling of our own tongue, and hence, accessible.This facility with language, and the art with which he employed its usage, is why Shakespeare is as relevant today as he was in his own time."

"

Era	Approximate Time Period	Example: The Lord's Prayer
Old English	450–1066	Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum; Si þin nama gehalgod to becume þin rice gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
Middle English	1066–1450	Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halewid be thi name; thi kyndoom come to; be thi wille don in erthe as in heuene.
Early Modern English	1450–1690	Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdome come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heauen.
Modern English	1690–Present	Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven."

 

[Angela]

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales were written between 1387 and 1400. Hence, it's "Middle English".

Trust me, this is the original. I had to read the whole darn thing this way.

Prologue:

"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licóur

Of which vertú engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,

And smale foweles maken melodye,

That slepen al the nyght with open ye,

So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, "

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43926

 

[Fire Haired14]

Sorry by Middle English I meant Early Modern English. It's terrible they didn't have a modern translation when you were in school.

 

[Angela]

Sorry by Middle English I meant Early Modern English. It's terrible they didn't have a modern translation when you were in school.

They did have a modern translation Fire-Haired, my professor was just a sadist.

Seriously, he thought people should read all the English classics in the original. We also had to learn how to pronounce it.

 

[Joey D]

The grammar nazi does exist for the English language...generally in the form of retired public servants and teachers on radio talk-back or writing letters to newspapers.

Such complaints will generally go along the following lines: What are they teaching at schools these days??