The Peterborough Chronicle and the Transition from Old English to Middle English In 1116 a fire in Peterborough Cathedral destroyed the copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle there. Another copy was borrowed for the new Peterborough Chronicle, and its entries from the years 449 to 1079 were copied. Uniquely amongst manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Peterborough Chronicle continued to gain new entries until 1155. In entries after 1132 the language demonstrates particularly well the transition from OE to ME. Some of the features of this transition are listed below: Older Features Definite Articles: se, þone, and þa, rather than invariable þe Dative -e: retention of dative inflexion on nouns after prepositions (e.g. ofer eal Englalande) Personal Pronouns: OE h-forms rather than ON þ-forms Word Order: Verb-Subject (VS) order in main clauses (e.g. sende se kyng) Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order in subordinate clauses (e.g. þet hi scolden cumen) Newer Features: Reduction of -a, -o, -u to -e (/ə/) in unstressed syllables (e.g. sona > sone) Loss of Dative -e: No dative inflexion on nouns after prepositions Word Order: Subject-Verb (SV) order occurred regularly in OE, but the feature that is ‘newer’ is the increased proportion of its use, at the expense of VS, SOV, and S...V. Check the box whenever SV occurs. Exercise Compare the frequency of appearance of OE features with new features of ME in the Peterborough Chronicle entry for 1123. Where relevant, the standard Old English form is given beneath that found in the Peterborough Chronicle. The inflexions are separated from the base of the word by a hyphen. A word-for-word translation follows. Place checks in the boxes based on the list of older and newer features is given above. From the Entry for 1123 Older Features Newer Features Def. Art. Dat. -e Pro. hi VS SOV -e(n), -es Loss of Dat. -e SV Ða sone þæræfter sende se kyng hise sona write ofer eal Englalande and bed writ-u Englaland-e hise biscopes and hise abbates and biscop-as hise þeignes ealle þet hi scolden þegn-as hi sceold-on cumen to his gewitenemot on Candelmesse cum-anOlder Features Newer Features Def. Art. Dat. -e Pro. hi VS SOV -e(n), -es Loss of Dat. -e SV deig to Gleawceastre him togeanes; and dæg-e hi swa diden. Ða hi wæran þær hi dyd-on gegaderod, þa bed se kyng heom þæt hi scoldon cesen hem ærcebiscop to ceos-an Cantawarabyrig swa hwam swa swa hi woldon and he hem hit wolde tyþian. Ða spræcon ða biscopas hem betwenan and sæden þæt hi næfre mare ne wolden sæd-on haven munechades man to ercebiscop ofer arcebiscop-e hem, ac iedon ealle samodlice to þone kyng and ieornden þet hi mosten cesen most-on ceos-an of clerchades man swa hwam sea swa hi wolden to ercebiscop; and se kyng hit wold-on arcebicop-e hem tidde. Word-for-Word translation Then soon thereafter sent the king his writs over all England and bade his bishops and his abbots and his thanes all that they should come to his council on Candlemass day at Gloucester him towards; and they so did. When they were there gathered, then bade the king (to) them that they should choose (for) them (an) archbishop for Canterbury whomever they wished and he them it would grant. Then spoke the bishops themselves between and said that they never more not would have (a) monastic man as archbishop over them, but went all together to the king and asked that they might choose from (a) clergy man whomever they wished as archbishop; and thee king it (to) them granted. The Ormulum is an East Midlands text which shows how its author, a monk named Orm, grappled with the same difficulties as the Peterborough Chronicle scribe. Notice that his spelling is consistent and that he attempts to reform English orthography and relate eeach sound to a symbol. His innovative use of double consonants is particularly remarkable. Other examples are his introduction of three symbols for <g> to differentiate the three sounds that it represented in OE, his use of <wh> for OE <hw>, and his use of <sh> for OE <sc>. The last two are familiar in MnE. Orm alone was not responsible for the adoption of these spellings, but the Ormulum represents new trends in which were taking place, if less systematically, amongst other English writers.Exercise In the following passage from the Ormulum, describe Orm’s verse-type and his use of punctuation. Do you think his final -e spelling was always pronounced? How many syllables are there before each ‘full stop’ (period)? What do the full stops mark? The Ormulum, late twelfth century þiss boc iss nennned Orrmulum. this book is called Ormulum. Forrþi þatt Orrm itt wrohhte. Because Orm it wrought (= made). Icc hafe wennd inntill I have turned into Ennglissh. Goddspelles hallȝhe English. (The) gospel’s holy lare. Affterr þatt little witt lore. After that little with þatt me. Min Drrihhtin hafeþþ that me. My Lord has lenedd. lent (= granted). Annd wha-se wilenn shall þiss And whoever intend shall this boc. Efft oþerr siþe writenn. book. Again another time write. Himm bidde icc þat he’t write Him ask I that he it copy rihht. Swa-summ þiss bov himm right. In the same way (that) this book him tæcheþþ. All þwerrt-ut affterr teaches. Entirely after (the way) þatt itt iss. Uppo þiss firrste that it is. According to this first bisne. Wiþþall swillc rime exemplar. With all such rhyme alls her iss sett. Wiþþall þe as here is set (down). With all the fele wordess. Annd tatt he loke many words. And (I ask) that he look wel þatt he. An bocstaff write well that he. A letter writes twiȝȝess. Eȝȝwhær þær itt uppo twice. Everywhere it within þiss boc. Iss writenn o þatt this book. Is written in that wise. Loke he wel þatt he’t way. Look he well that he it wrote swa. Forr he ne maȝȝ wrote so. For he must nohht elless. Onn Ennglissh not else (= otherwise). In English writenn rihht te word. Þatt write correctly the word. That wite he wel to soþe. (should) know he well for