THE VOCABULARY OF THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD WITH A FOCUS ON CHAUCER
Keywords:
Middle English, vocabulary development, Geoffrey Chaucer, lexical borrowing, Norman French influence, Latin influence, The Canterbury Tales, language standardization.Abstract
The article explores the major lexical developments that shaped the English language between the 12th and 15th centuries, with particular attention to the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. The study highlights how Middle English vocabulary emerged from the interaction of Old English, Norman French, and Latin, reflecting profound social, cultural, and political changes following the Norman Conquest. Special emphasis is placed on Chaucer’s role in enriching English vocabulary by skillfully combining native English words with French and Latin borrowings. The article analyzes how Chaucer’s lexical choices contributed to stylistic flexibility, semantic precision, and the expressive power of Middle English. It also examines the coexistence of synonyms from different linguistic origins and their functional distribution in literary texts. Through examples from The Canterbury Tales, the article demonstrates how Chaucer helped standardize English usage and elevate it as a literary language. Overall, the study shows that the vocabulary of the Middle English period laid the foundation for Modern English, with Chaucer playing a central role in shaping its richness and adaptability.
