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Middle English (abbreviated to ME [1]) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English period.
Middle English literature is written, then, in the many dialects that correspond to the history, culture, and background of the individual writers. While Anglo-Norman or Latin was preferred for high culture and administration, English literature by no means died out, and a number of important works illustrate the development of the language.
The English language changed enormously during the Middle English period, in vocabulary, in pronunciation, and in grammar. While Old English is a heavily inflected language , the use of grammatical endings diminished in Middle English . Grammar distinctions were lost as many noun and adjective endings were levelled to -e.
English continued to be used on a modest scale to write local religious works and some poems in the north of England, but most major works were produced in Latin or French. [168] Music and singing were important in England during the medieval period, being used in religious ceremonies, court occasions and to accompany theatrical works. [ 169 ]
This cold end to the Middle Ages significantly affected English agriculture and living conditions. [239] Even at the start of the Middle Ages the English landscape had been shaped by human occupation over many centuries. [232] Much woodland was new, the result of fields being reclaimed by brush after the collapse of the Roman Empire. [232]
This table omits the history of Middle English diphthongs; see that link for a table summarizing the developments. The table is organized around the pronunciation of Late Middle English c. 1400 AD (the time of Chaucer) and the modern
The following is a timeline of major events in post-classical history from the 5th to 15th centuries, loosely corresponding to the Old World Middle Ages, intermediate between Late antiquity and the early modern period.
The history of England during the Late Middle Ages covers from the thirteenth century, the end of the Angevins, and the accession of Henry II – considered by many to mark the start of the Plantagenet dynasty – until the accession to the throne of the Tudor dynasty in 1485, which is often taken as the most convenient marker for the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the English ...