During the Middle English period English language was divided into a
number of dialects. There was on standard English that the English people could
follow throughout the country for written and verbal communication. But towards
the end of the fourteenth century of one the local dialects emerged as a
written language that in the course of the fifteenth won general recognition
and has since become the recognized standard in both speech and writing. The
part of England that
contributed most to the formation of this standard was the East Midland district,
and it was the East Midland type of English that became its basis, particularly
the dialect of the metropolis, London.
Several causes contributed to the attainment of this result.
In the first place, as a Midland
dialect the English of this region occupied a middle position between the
extreme divergences of the north and south. It was less conservative than the
Southern dialect, less radical than the Northern. In its sounds and inflections
it represents a kind of compromise, sharing some of the characteristics of both
its neighbors. This intermediate position was one of the factors that helped
the Midland dialect to gain popularity.
In the second place, the East Midland
district was the largest and most populous of the major dialect areas. The land
was more valuable than the hilly country to the north and west, and in an
agricultural age this advantage was reflected in both the number and the prosperity
of the inhabitants. The political prominence of Middlesex, Oxford,
Norfolk, and the East
Midlands all through the later Middle Ages is also another
evidence of the importance of the district and of the extent to which its
influence was likely to be felt.
A third factor, more difficult to evaluate, was the presence of the
universities, Oxford and Cambridge, in this region. In the fourteenth
century the monasteries were playing a less important role in the dissemination
of learning than they had once played, while the two universities had developed
into important intellectual centers. So far as Cambridge is concerned any
influence that it had would be exerted in support of the East Midland dialect.
That of Oxford is less certain because Oxfordshire
is on the border between Midland and Southern
and its dialect shows certain characteristic Southern features.
The influence of Chaucer was also another factor that helped the
rise of the standard English. There is a controversy as how much Chaucer influenced
the rise of the standard English. It was once thought that Chaucer’s importance
was paramount among the influences bringing about the adoption of a written
standard. But the recent studies show that though he lent support to the Midland dialect , his influence was confined to a limited
circle. Chaucer was a court poet, and his usage may reflect the speech of the
court and to a certain extent only literary tradition.
The Importance of London
English
By far the most influential factor in the rise of Standard English
was the importance of London as the capital of England.
Indeed, it is altogether likely that the language of the city would have become
the prevailing dialect without the help of any of the factors previously
discussed. In doing so it would have been following the course of other national
tongues—French as the dialect of Paris, Spanish as that of Castile, and
others. London was, and still is, the political
and commercial center of England.
It was the seat of the court, of the highest judicial tribunals, the focus of
the social and intellectual activities of the country. By the fifteenth century
there had come to prevail in the East Midlands a fairly uniform dialect, and
the language of London
agrees in all important respects with it. In the latter part of the fifteenth
century the London
standard had been accepted, at least in writing, in most parts of the country. To
sum up, the history of Standard English is almost a history of London English.
It would be a mistake to think that complete uniformity was attained
within the space of a few generations. Even in matters of vocabulary dialectal
differences have persisted in cultivated speech down to the present day, and
they were no less noticeable in the period during which London English was
gaining general acceptance. However, the above mentioned factors helped the
rise of what has been accepted as the standard English.
Reference:
A
History of the English Language. Baugh, Albert C., and Thomas Cable. 4th ed. Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993.
