英国文学-中古英语经典教程.pptVIP

Middle English Yilin Wang Grammar Nouns picture from wikipedia Verbs pronouns (picture from wikipedia) Pronunciation “Generally, all letters in Middle English words were pronounced.”from wikipedia Vocabulary Franch Latin Belgisch-Nederlands Nederlands Neddersassisch Informations are from Wikimedia Sample Text “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open eye- (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages” ——from Tales of Canterbury ，written by Geoffrey Chaucer Translation into Modern English: (by Coghill) When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower, When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half course in the sign of the Ram has run And the small fowl are making melody That sleep away the night with open eye, (So nature pricks them and their heart engages) Then folk long to go on pilgrimages, And palmers long to seek the stranger strands Of far off saints, hallowed in sundry lands, And specially from every shires’ end Of England, down to Canterbury they wend The holy blissful martyr, quick To give his help to them when they were sick Thank you