Author Topic: Middle English Pronunciation (Read 950 times)

Teshi · « **on:** October 31, 2005, 11:20:04 AM »

Yes, this is a question about homework but I promise you this is just the tip of an iceberg the size of Greenland.

My assignment is to write a modern character description in the style and language of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales General Prologue. One of my biggest problems (other than the different language, the decasyllabic lines and the fact that no such word as "car" existed in Middle English) is the fact that Chaucer wrote in couplets, which, because of the GEVS are mostly different from nowadays. (it's irritating to note, for example that bright/light and white no longer rhyme because they're so useful).

My question is how to pronounce the word now pronounced "tie" as in "There was a tie holding the two things together".

Back tracking from the GEVS it's 'tee'? ()

However, the OED lists versions like "tei" which I would pronounce now as [e].

Any idea? It would be so useful if anyone had a better idea than me because it's presently at the end of one of my lines and I can't go any further without knowing how it's pronounced.

*dies*

Jonathon · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2005, 01:44:50 PM »

I have no idea what you mean by "GEVs."

The problem with Middle English is that there were different dialects that pronounced things differently, so it's very likely that there were both [ti] and [te] forms. If the OED lists both, then I'd say just pick one.

Teshi · « **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2005, 06:17:35 PM »

GEVS = Great English Vowel Shift.

Okay, I'll do that. If I get asked by my TA, at least I can say that a Linguist told me

.

Thanks very much

.

Jonathon · « **Reply #3 on:** October 31, 2005, 06:48:39 PM »

No problem.

What kind of class is this? I don't imagine that they expect you to have a thorough and accurate knowledge of Middle English (unless it's a graduate-level Middle English course, that is).

Teshi · « **Reply #4 on:** October 31, 2005, 07:00:14 PM »

Nope. It's a second year undergraduate level survey course

. So a far cry from anything really in depth at all.

It's just I like to do a thorough job on assignments like this. And this has to blow my TA away because I didn't do so well as I would have liked on the last essay.