Middle English Dialect that did rise to become Standard English

Out of the variety of local dialect there emerged toward the end of the 14^th century a written language that in the course of the 15^th century was given general recognition as standard in both speech and written. The part of England that contributed most to the formation of this standard was East Midland and it was the East Midland type of English that became its basis, particularly the dialect of the metropolis London. To the attainment of this result several causes contributed.

In the first place, as a Midland dialect the English of this region occupied a middle position between the extreme divergence of the north and the south. It was less conservative than the southern dialect and 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.

In the second place the East Midland district was the largest and the most populous of the major dialect area. The land was more valuable than the hilly country to the north and the west and in an agricultural age this advantage was reflected in both number and the prosperity the in habitants. The prominence of the Middlesex and Norfolk and the east midlands generally in political affairs all through the later middle ages is but another evidence of the importance and of the extent to which its influence was likely to be felt.

A third factor more difficult to evaluate was the presence of universities of Oxford and Cambridge in this region. So far as Cambridge is concerned, any influence it had would be exerted in support of the East Midland dialect. That of Oxford is less certain because Oxford shire is on the border between midland and southern region and its dialect shows certain characteristic southern feature. Of Oxford all we can say is that it is the dialect of Oxford and has no apparent influence on the form of London English which was ultimately adopted as standard.

Much the same uncertainty attaches to the influence of Chaucer. It was once thought that Chaucer’s importance was paramount among the influences bringing about the adoption of a written standard. It is nevertheless unlikely that the English used in official records and in letters and papers by men of affairs was greatly influenced by his poetry. Yet it is the language found in such documents rather than the language of Chaucer that is at the basis of Standard English. Chaucer’s language is slightly more conservative and shows a great number of southern characteristics. His influence must be thought as an unending support in a general way to the dialect of the region to which he belonged rather than as determining the precise form which Standard English wad to take in the Century following his death. Thus, we see that as different kinds of words are continually falling out of use and new ones are being coined from time to time, the Standard English like other living languages is likely to undergo change and development and cannot be expected to remain as it is at present.