Middle English – Chaucer Style

1. Middle English – Chaucer Style by Dan Foley

2. The Canterbury Tales • Chaucer’s Masterpiece – Never Finished • 31 Pilgrims 4 Stories Each – Chaucer Old • Source of this Slideshow • Certain words strong as ever • Others have had vastly different changes in meaning • Others have faded out forever without explanation • Use of OED and ME along with Geoffrey

3. The Survivors

4. Survival: Gay • Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer • Anglo-Norman, Old French • Beginning as Nobel, beautiful, excellent (epithet of praise for a woman) (1325) Also bright in color, showy (1375) • Of persons, light hearted, carefree, merry (1380) • Then taking on an ironic meaning for excellent, beautiful, fine (1581) • This is the big Change • For both persons and others meaning lewd dedicated to social pleasures, dissolute, promiscuous, hedonistic, frivolous, flamboyant, uninhibited (1597) or of a prostitute • Taken on the modern, homosexual in (1922)

5. Survival: Wood • What sholde he studie, and make hymselven wood, (1374) • What does this mean? • Not only related to trees • N. Crazy Mad Insane • V. To go Mad • Comes from Scandinavian compound - Brain-Wood (Frenzied of the Brain) • Gone by 1600’s • 1985 first instance of get wood

6. Survival: War (Aware) • Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war; • Originally had several meanings • N. to fight, to battle etc. (we all know) • Also meant “Aware” in this case (1370’s) • OED not sure about “war” origin, no use of it in old Germanic • Possibly coming from “ware” – meaning watchful (893) However now is obsolete • Adj. worse – in all senses (Scottish) • Connection?

7. Survival: Purtreye (Portray) • Juste, and eek daunce, and weelpurtreye and write. • An easy one • French, Anglo Saxon Roots • To paint, or adorn (1330) • Later taking on the Modern Instance of to show, to depict

8. The Forms of the Dead

9. Dead and Gone: Clepe • This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd (1386). • Coming from Clip (to clink or ring) and Clap (a hard noise - Norse) • A call or cry, appeal after, proclaim • Last use end of the 1500’s • Perhaps no more use for it? • Several other words take its place

10. The Living Dead?: eke • And eek his face, as it hadde been enoyte. (1370’s) gone by (1850’s) • Forms: Eke, eek, ek, eake, ec • Possible Aryan roots, but unknown • Used in terms of connecting nouns and pronouns, introducing sentences, modifying the predicate • Adv. Also, in addition • V. To increase, lengthen • N. An addition, increase • Today: V. to supplement with great effort? • As in “The Sox eked out the win against the Yankees” • Also – a male salmon (1887) No idea

11. Real Dead: Ba • How mekly lokith Wilkyn our scheep! Com ner, my spouse, let me ba thy cheke (1386) • It means to kiss • Coming from English? • Most likely a nursery or onomatopoeia word • Like opening the mouth, grape (kissed like your grandma does) • Last known use in 1529 • Reasons Unknown

12. So Ridiculously Dead: Geldyng • I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare (1370) • Only instance found • Referring to the Pardoner • Meaning eunuch, or a castrated • Chaucer – (referring to) Translates to – I think he was a eunuch or a homosexual • One of the strangest phrases in literature

13. The End