Englisch
Middle English
Indo-European (Germanic, West) · historical / hidden variety
Middle English (c. 1100–1500 CE) was the language of medieval England following the Norman Conquest of 1066 — the language of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400), William Langland's Piers Plowman, the Pearl Poet, and the Wycliffe Bible (1382). It evolved from Old English (Anglo-Saxon) through massive French vocabulary borrowing (~10,000 words from Anglo-Norman, including law, government, food, art) and the loss of most Old English inflections (case, gender). The Great Vowel Shift (c. 1400–1700) marked its transition to Early Modern English. Originally written in a Latin script with the additional letters þ (thorn), ð (eth), and ȝ (yogh).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Middle English
Water
water
/watər/
Fire
fyr
/fyːr/
Sun
sonne
/sɔnːə/
Moon
mone
/moːnə/
Star
sterre
/ˈstɛrːə/
Mother
moder
/moːdər/
Father
fader
/faːdər/
I
I
/iː/
You
thou
/θuː/
Name
name
/ˈnaːmə/
Eye
eye
/iːə/
Hand
hand
/hand/
Heart
herte
/hɛrtə/
Love
love
/lʊvə/
Tree
tre
/treː/
House
hous
/huːs/
Dog
hound
/huːnd/
Cat
catte
/katːə/
Eat
eten
/eːtən/
Drink
drinken
/drɪŋkən/
One
oon
/oːn/
Two
two
/twɔː/
Hello
hail
/hɛːl/
Thank you
thank
/θank/
Good
good
/ɡoːd/
Cuckoo
cuccu
/ˈkukuː/
Computer
rekenere
/ˈrɛkənɛːrə/
Sushi
stokfish
/ˈstɔkfiʃ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West) languages
| Meaning | Middle English | Old Frisian | Old English | Old Saxon | Early Modern English | Middle High German | Low German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | water /watər/ | wetir /wetir/ | wæter /wæter/ | watar /ˈwatar/ | water /ˈwætər/ | wazzer /ˈwatser/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ |
| Fire | fyr /fyːr/ | fiur /fjuːɾ/ | fȳr /fyːr/ | fiur /fiur/ | fyre /fəir/ | viur /viur/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ |
| Sun | sonne /sɔnːə/ | sunne /sunːe/ | sunne /sunːe/ | sunna /ˈsunːa/ | sunne /sʊn/ | sunne /ˈzunːə/ | Sünn /zʏn/ |
| Moon | mone /moːnə/ | mōna /moːnɑ/ | mōna /moːnɑ/ | māno /ˈmaːno/ | moone /muːn/ | mâne /ˈmaːnə/ | Maan /maːn/ |
| Star | sterre /ˈstɛrːə/ | stera /ˈstɛra/ | steorra /ˈstæɔrːɑ/ | sterro /ˈsterro/ | star /staːɹ/ | sterne /ˈstɛrnə/ | Steern /steːrn/ |
| Mother | moder /moːdər/ | moder /moːdeɾ/ | mōdor /moːdor/ | modar /ˈmoːdar/ | mother /ˈmʊðər/ | muoter /ˈmuoːtər/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ |
| Father | fader /faːdər/ | feder /fædeɾ/ | fæder /fæder/ | fader /ˈfadər/ | father /ˈfɑːðər/ | vater /ˈfatər/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ |
| I | I /iː/ | ik /ik/ | ic /itʃ/ | ik /ik/ | I /əi/ | ich /ix/ | ik /ɪk/ |
| You | thou /θuː/ | thū /θuː/ | þū /θuː/ | thu /θuː/ | thou /ðou/ | dû /duː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | name /ˈnaːmə/ | nama /ˈnama/ | nama /ˈnɑma/ | namo /ˈnamo/ | name /neːm/ | name /ˈnamə/ | Naam /naːm/ |
| Eye | eye /iːə/ | āge /aːɣe/ | ēage /æːɑɣe/ | ōga /ˈoːɡa/ | eye /əi/ | ouge /ˈouɡə/ | Oog /oːx/ |
| Hand | hand /hand/ | hond /hond/ | hand /hɑnd/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hand/ | hant /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | herte /hɛrtə/ | herte /heɾte/ | heorte /ˈheorte/ | herta /ˈherta/ | heart /hɛrt/ | herze /ˈhertsə/ | Hart /haɐt/ |
| Love | love /lʊvə/ | minne /minːe/ | lufu /luvu/ | minnea /ˈminːea/ | loue /lʊv/ | minne /ˈminːə/ | Leev /leːf/ |
| Tree | tre /treː/ | bām /baːm/ | trēow /treːow/ | bōm /boːm/ | tree /triː/ | boum /boum/ | Boom /boːm/ |
| House | hous /huːs/ | hūs /huːs/ | hūs /huːs/ | hūs /huːs/ | house /huːs/ | hûs /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ |
| Dog | hound /huːnd/ | hund /hund/ | hund /hund/ | hund /hund/ | dogge /dɔɡ/ | hunt /hunt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | catte /katːə/ | katte /katːe/ | catt /kɑtt/ | katta /ˈkatːa/ | cat /kat/ | katze /ˈkatsə/ | Katt /kat/ |
| Eat | eten /eːtən/ | eta /etɑ/ | etan /etɑn/ | etan /ˈetan/ | eate /eːt/ | ezzen /ˈetsən/ | eten /eːtn̩/ |
| Drink | drinken /drɪŋkən/ | drinka /dɾinkɑ/ | drincan /drinkɑn/ | drinkan /ˈdrinkan/ | drinke /driŋk/ | trinken /ˈtrinkən/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ |
| One | oon /oːn/ | ān /aːn/ | ān /aːn/ | ēn /eːn/ | one /oːn/ | ein /ein/ | een /eːn/ |
| Two | two /twɔː/ | twā /twaː/ | twā /twɑː/ | twēne /ˈtweːne/ | two /tuː/ | zwei /tsweɪ/ | twee /tveː/ |
| Hello | hail /hɛːl/ | heil /heil/ | wes hāl /wes haːl/ | heil /heil/ | good den /ɡuːd dɛn/ | gegrüezet /ɡəˈɡryːətsət/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ |
| Thank you | thank /θank/ | thank /θank/ | þanc /θɑnk/ | thank /θaŋk/ | gramercy /ɡraˈmɛrsi/ | danc /daŋk/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ |
| Good | good /ɡoːd/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | good /ɡʊːd/ | guot /ɡuoːt/ | good /ɡoːt/ |
| Cuckoo | cuccu /ˈkukuː/ | — | ġēac /jæːɑk/ | — | cuckoo /ˈkʊkuː/ | gouch /ˈɡou̯x/ | Kukuk /ˈkuːkuk/ |
| Computer | rekenere /ˈrɛkənɛːrə/ | — | — | — | computer /kɔmˈpiu̯tər/ | — | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ |
| Sushi | stokfish /ˈstɔkfiʃ/ | — | — | — | stockfish /ˈstɒkfɪʃ/ | stocvisch /ˈstɔkfiʃ/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ |
Page 1/4
Word order compared
Compare with major world languages
Middle English
I
wolde
assayen
a cote
that
I
saugh
in
a shoppe
over agaynst
the hostelrie
أنا
أريد
أن أجرب
بدلة
رأيتها
في
محل
مقابل
الفندق
我
想
试穿
酒店
对面的
商店
里
看到的
那套西装
I
want to
try on
a suit
I
saw
in
a shop
across from
the hotel
Ich
möchte
einen Anzug
anprobieren
den
ich
in einem
Geschäft
gegenüber vom
Hotel
gesehen habe
मैं
होटल
के सामने
एक दुकान
में
देखा
सूट को
पहनकर देखना
चाहता हूँ
私は
ホテルの
向かいの
お店
で
見た
スーツを
試着
したいです
Я
хочу
примерить
костюм
который
я увидел
в
магазине
напротив
отеля
Middle English
My
name
is
Tanaka
اسمي
هو
تاناكا
我的
名字
是
田中
My
name
is
Tanaka
Mein
Name
ist
Tanaka
मेरा
नाम
तनाका
है
私の
名前は
田中
です
Моё
имя
—
Танака
Middle English
I
ete
brekefast
every morwe
at seven of the clokke
أتناول
أنا
الإفطار
كل صباح
الساعة السابعة
我
每天早上
七点
吃
早饭
I
eat
breakfast
every morning
at 7 o'clock
Ich
frühstücke
jeden Morgen
um 7 Uhr
मैं
हर सुबह
7 बजे
नाश्ता
करता हूँ
毎朝
7時に
朝ごはんを
食べます
Я
завтракаю
каждое утро
в 7 часов
Middle English
Wher
is
the nexte
stacioun
أين
تقع
أقرب
محطة
最近的
车站
在
哪里
Where
is
the nearest
station
Wo
ist
der nächste
Bahnhof
सबसे नज़दीकी
स्टेशन
कहाँ
है
一番近い
駅は
どこ
です
か
Где
находится
ближайшая
станция
Middle English
This
coffe
is
ful
delicious
هذه
القهوة
لذيذة
جداً
这
咖啡
很
好喝
This
coffee
is
very
delicious
Dieser
Kaffee
ist
sehr
lecker
यह
कॉफ़ी
बहुत
स्वादिष्ट है
この
コーヒーは
とても
おいしいです
Этот
кофе
очень
вкусный
Middle English
I
studie
Iaponese
at the universitee
أنا
أدرس
اللغة اليابانية
في الجامعة
我
在大学
学
日语
I
study
Japanese
at university
Ich
studiere
Japanisch
an der Universität
मैं
विश्वविद्यालय में
जापानी
पढ़ता हूँ
私は
大学で
日本語を
勉強しています
Я
изучаю
японский язык
в университете
Middle English
To-morwes
weder
shal be
sonny
سيكون
الطقس
غداً
مشمساً
明天
天气
会
晴天
Tomorrow's
weather
will be
sunny
Morgen
wird
das Wetter
sonnig
sein
कल
मौसम
धूप वाला
होगा
明日の
天気は
晴れ
でしょう
Завтра
погода
будет
солнечной
Middle English
My moder
maketh
soper
every day
تطبخ
أمي
العشاء
كل يوم
我妈妈
每天
做
晚饭
My mother
cooks
dinner
every day
Meine Mutter
kocht
jeden Tag
Abendessen
मेरी माँ
हर रोज़
रात का खाना
बनाती है
お母さんは
毎日
夕食を
作ります
Моя мама
готовит
ужин
каждый день
Middle English
I
wolde
gon
to
Iapon
next
yeer
أنا
أريد
أن أذهب
إلى
اليابان
العام
القادم
我
明
年
想
去
日本
I
want to
go
to
Japan
next
year
Ich
möchte
nächstes
Jahr
nach
Japan
fahren
मैं
अगले
साल
जापान
जाना
चाहता हूँ
私は
来
年
日本
に
行き
たいです
Я
хочу
поехать
в
Японию
в следующем
году
Middle English
Canst
thou
speken
Englisshe
هل
تستطيع
التحدث
باللغة الإنجليزية
你
会
说
英语
吗
Can
you
speak
English
Können
Sie
Englisch
sprechen
आप
अंग्रेज़ी
बोल
सकते हैं
あなたは
英語が
話せ
ます
か
Вы
умеете
говорить
по-английски
Compare with closely-related languages
I
want to
try on
a suit
I
saw
in
a shop
across from
the hotel
I
want tae
try on
a suit
I
saw
in
a shop
across frae
the hotel
I
möcht
an Anzug
anprobieren
den
i
in am
Gschäft
gegenüber vom
Hotel
gsehn hob
Middle English
I
wolde
assayen
a cote
that
I
saugh
in
a shoppe
over agaynst
the hostelrie
Unë
dua
ta provoj
një kostum
që
pashë
në
një dyqan
përballë
hotelit
My
name
is
Tanaka
My
name
is
Tanaka
Mei
Nama
is
Tanaka
Middle English
My
name
is
Tanaka
Emri
im
është
Tanaka
I
do be eating
breakfast
every morning
at 7 o'clock
I
eat
breakfast
every morning
at 7 o'clock
I
frühstück
jeden Morgen
um 7 Uhr
Middle English
I
ete
brekefast
every morwe
at seven of the clokke
Unë
ha
mëngjes
çdo mëngjes
në orën 7
Where
is
the nearest
station
Whaur
is
the nearest
station
Wo
is
die nächste
Station
Middle English
Wher
is
the nexte
stacioun
Ku
është
stacioni më i afërt
This
coffee
is
grand and
delicious
This
coffee
is
awfy
braw
Der
Kaffee
is
sehr
guat
Middle English
This
coffe
is
ful
delicious
Ky
kafe
është
shumë
i shijshëm
I
study
Japanese
at university
I
study
Japanese
at the university
I
studier
Japanisch
an der Uni
Middle English
I
studie
Iaponese
at the universitee
Unë
studioj
japonisht
në universitet
Tomorrow's
weather
will be
sunny
The morn's
weather
will be
sunny
Morgen
wird
des Wetter
sonnig
sein
Middle English
To-morwes
weder
shal be
sonny
Moti i
nesërm
do të jetë
me diell
My mother
cooks
dinner
every day
My mither
cooks
dinner
every day
Mei Mutti
kocht
jeden Tag
des Abendessen
Middle English
My moder
maketh
soper
every day
Nëna ime
gatuan
darkën
çdo ditë
I
want to
go
to
Japan
next
year
I
want tae
go
tae
Japan
next
year
I
möcht
nächstes
Jahr
noch
Japan
foan
Middle English
I
wolde
gon
to
Iapon
next
yeer
Unë
dua
të shkoj
në
Japoni
vitin
e ardhshëm
Can
you
speak
English
Can
ye
speak
English
Können
Sie
Englisch
reden
Middle English
Canst
thou
speken
Englisshe
A
flisni
anglisht
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