Horobin S., Smith J. An Introduction to Middle English

Edinburgh University Press, 2002. — 191 p. — ISBN 10: 0748614818The book is designed as a linguistic introduction to Middle English for undergraduate students. It features chapters on spellings and pronunciations of Middle English, the lexicon and grammar. Each chapter ends in exercises.
We have attempted to make the book a bridge between elementary surveys of the kind to be found in beginners’ readers and more sophisticated (and theoretically oriented) work; thus in the last chapter we point forward to issues which are part of recent scholarly debate. Our view is that it is important for all students, as colleagues in the discipline, to be aware of current controversies; however, we have tried to avoid such controversies in the body of the book so that not too strong a ‘party-line’ is pushed. Even so, it would be foolish to deny that there is an overarching approach, which may be defined as linking concerns often described as ‘linguistic’ (theory-centred) with ‘philological’ (text-centred) ones. We envisage our book being used, at an early stage, as part of an undergraduate Honours course on Middle English. In order to enhance its usefulness (and indeed to keep overall costs down) we have supplied a reader of illustrative texts, but ideally students will supplement this with other collections. We especially recommend Burnley 1992.Abbreviations
To readersWhat did Middle English look like?
Middle English in use
Spellings and sounds
The lexicon
Grammar
Looking forward
Appendix: Middle English texts
Discussion of the exercises