#  Key Terms for Middle English 

 



These terms and dates form part of the discussion of the readings for this section, and you should become familiar with them. You can find them defined separately in the Glossary in the back of our textbook, as well as the [online glossary on this site](/glossary). Some of these terms may also come from our lectures, supplementary readings, and workbook exercises for the unit. *You may find it helpful to continually refer back to this list as you progress through the material and lectures of this unit.*

Norman French, Anglo-Norman, or French of England  
Parisian French  
yogh  
function words  
levelling of inflected endings  
scribal -e  
SVO (Subject-Verb-Object word order)  
dialect

1066 Norman Conquest; William crowned King of England  
1204 King John loses Normandy  
1348-1350 Plague  
1337-1453 Hundred Years War  
1400 death of Geoffrey Chaucer  
1476 Caxton's printing press