Noun in Early New English
The noun paradigm looks very much the same as we have it today. Having lost the category of gender and much of its case forms it has the genitive case as opposed to nominative; the number of nouns taking it is reduced mainly to those denoting living beings. In fact, we may call it possessive, because it is used now mainly in the function of attribute denoting possession. However, some nouns other than those denoting persons may still take it in the 17th century
I do not set my life in a pin's fee (Hamlet) Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow's shadow (ibid).
At the same time the unification of plural endings takes place, and former relics of -en disappear, giving way to -es. So, the general rule of formation of the plural of the noun is enriched by archaic forms (like geese, feet, children etc.) - we call them grammatical archaisms; some words borrowed from Latin and used mainly in scientific texts retain their Latin plurals and may be called grammatical barbarisms datum - data (1640-50), radius - radii (1590-1600), formula -formulae (1575-85), axis - axes (1540-50). Some of these, however tend to comply with the general rule, and forms like radiuses, formulas very soon become quite common.
Various scholars note, that an interesting variation appears in the treatment of abstract nouns, which in Modern English have no plural, except by way of personification. In Shakespeare's time such nouns were regularly used in a distributive sense:
and 'tis our fast intent
To shake all cares and business from our age;
Conferring them on younger strengths (King Lear).
Whereas the apostrophe as a sign denoting the possessive case of a noun appeared only about 1680, and its use to mark the possessive case in plural in 1789, the nouns in the genitive case and in the plural have homonymic endings, and only the context resolves ambiguity. We may note numerous instances of the use of apostrophe in Shakespeare's plays, but there they show only the omission of e or some other sounds - that is purely a phonetic sign. So, for instance in the case of sentences like - The trumpets sounds (Hamlet) which may be perceived differently. The form trumpets may be simple plural, possesive singular and possessive plural. The context shows that this is a nominative sentence, trumpets is the attribute, and the trumpet is the only musical instrument in the situation. Hence, we may say that it is the genitive singular form of the noun.
Of-phrase (the noun with the preposition of) replaces the former genitive case, but in Shakespeare's plays thay may go together, as in the following The pangs of despised love, the law's delay (Hamlet)
The changes in the nominal system were the most significant.
Lecture 10 Middle English Adjective
The paradigm of the adjective in Middle English is simplified drastically. The endings become scarce. The category of gender is lost, for the nouns no longer have it. The adjective no longer agrees with the noun in case, the only remaining endings being - the plural form having the ending -e and the remains of the weak declension, the weak form (the one preceded by an article) -e
young kniht /the younge kniht
younge knihtes/the younge knihtes
the younge girles of the diocise (weak, plural) (the young girls of the
diocese)
...the yonge sonne (weak singular) /Hath in the Ram his halfe cours
yronne (The young sun has run half of its way in the constellation of
Ram)
Two yonge knyghtes (strong plural) (two young knights)
Noght wiste he what this Latyn was to seye,
For he so yong and tendre was of age (strong singular) (He did not
know how to speak Latin, for he was of young and tender age)
A long surcote of pers upon he hade (strong singular) (He had on /
was dressed in/ a long perse surcoat)
The remenant of the tale is long ynough (strong singular) (the rest of
the tale is long enough)
full longe were his legges and full lene (strong plural) (his legs were
long and lean)
As smale children doon in hir childhede (as small children do in their
childhood)
smale fowles maken melodie (small birds sing /make melody)
a voice he had as smal as has a goot (he had as small voice like that of
a goat)
Hir mouth ful smaL and therto softe and reed (Her mouth was very small, and therefore soft and red)
But some of the adjectives had the very ending -e as a result of levelling of the vowels at the and, and so such adjectives as grene were already unchangeable; in the plural the strong and the weak forms also coincided.
The forms of the suffixes of the degrees of comparison were reduced to -ery -est
greet - gretter - grettest
His voys was murier (his voice was merrier...) Hise nayles whiter than the lylye flour (His nails were whiter than th flower of a lily)
Lucifer, brightest of aungels alle (Lucifer, the brightest of all angels) Some adjectives retained a mutated vowel they had had in Old English-
old - elder - eldest
long - lenger - lengest
strong - stregner -strengest
The eldeste lady of hem alle spak (the lady, the oldest of them all, spoke).
Some preserve former suppletivity, and their degrees of comparison look like this:
good - bettre - best
evil (bad) - werse - werst
muchel - more - most, mest
litel - lasse - lest
She may have bettre fortune than yow semeth (She may have
better fortune that it seems to you)
I moot reherce
Hir tales alle, be they bettre or werse (I may recount all his
tales, be they better or worse)
Some adjectives, especially of foreign origin, are found in a form th came into wider usage only later, that is they may be associated with tf adverb moore/most
Crist, whan hym list, may sende me an heir
Moore agreable than this to my likynge (Christ, if his will, may
send me an heir more agreeable than this to my liking)
Moore delicaat, moore pompous of array,
Moore proud was nevere emperour than he... (There i
was an emperor more delicate, more pompous in clothing amore proud...).
Middle English Adverb
Adverbs in the Middle English period are changed phonetically, like all other parts of speech, yet there were some changes worth mentioning, too. All primary adverbs existed in their slightly modified form - theer ire), then, wher, eft (again), ofte (often), hider (here to), hider-to (before v), anon (at once) etc. Very common are compound adverbs of the type route, therwith, theof, therby.
And chargen hir she never eft coome theere (and order her to come
there never again)
Wommennes conseils been ful ofte colde (Women's advice very often
is cold)
The hostiler answerde hym anon (the hosteler answered him at once)
Therto he was a good archeer (in addition, he was a good archer)
And therwithal he knew of mo proverbes
Than in this world ther growen gras or herbes (and, together with it he
knew more proverbs that there grow grass or herbs in this world).
Secondary adverbs, formerly made from the adjectives by means of ng the suffix -e were also in use, but what with the levelling of the final el, were no longer distinct in the language, and a new phenomenon jared - it started the so-called adverbial use of adjectives
Ful loude he soong 'com hider, love, to me' (he sang very loudly "love, come here to me"
And softe unto hym-self he seyde... (and softly /under his voice/he
said to himself.
A word is to be said about the use of the adverb ful in the function of ntensifying adjectives. In Old English there was an adverb swithe, the original meaning of which in Germanic languages was strongly. By the time English became a separate language it lost its former meaning and turned into pure intensifier (such phenomena are characteristic of other languages, just compare it with colloquial use of the adverb in Russian -).. In Middle English it falls out of use and is replaced I in the function of an adverb:
Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne (she sang very well at divine
service)
He was a lord ful fat (he was a lord very fat)
Ful longe were his legges, and ful lene (his legs were very long a
very lean).
French borrowing verray (present-day very) was also in use, alongside with its use in the function an adjective in its original meaning (OF verai vrail - true).
Thise are the wordes that the markys sayde
To this benigne verray feithful mayde... (these are the words that ti
Marquis said to this benign very faithful maid...)
He was a verray parfit gentil knyght (he was a very perfect genl
knight).
More common are instances of the use of the word in its origin
meaning:
Hir herte is verray chambre of hoolynesse (her heart is a true chamto
of holiness)
Thurgh which he may hise verray freendes see (through which \
may see his true friends).
It is to be noted, that even in present-day English this original meanin is preserved, though this use is marked in the dictionaries as archaic (th very image of his mother; the very fool etc.)
' J At the same time there appears a new and very productive way of forming adverbs - adding the suffix -ly. The very suffix was not quite new. ] goes back to Old English suffix -lice, but earlier it was limited in use. NOw quite distinct adverbs were made this way. Native adjectives as well a borrowed took it freely, and such formations very soon become prevalent ii the language.
And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste (and shortly, when the sui
was to rest /at the sunset/)
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche (he would gladly lean
and gladly teach)
And Frenssh she spak ful faire andfetisly... (And she spoke French
very correct and nicely )
Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat! (Certainly, he was a good prelat)
There were practically no changes as far as the formation of the degrees of comparison of adjectives are concerned. Like adjectives, adverbs took the suffix -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative degree (those that had mutated vowels and suppletive forms retained them),