part 3 question 7

7) Who is Chaucer? Where was he from? What is his role in the history of the English language?
It’s long Story p.93-94
• Goeffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)
• Chaucer made fun of many non-standard dialects.

BRAGG, Melvyn, 2003, The Adventure of English, 500 AD – 2000 The Biography of a Language, Hodder& Stoughton p.69-79.
• Chaucer was the first writer of the fully emerged England. Author of the Cantebury Tales.
• Brought a range of individually realised characters, wrote in London English.
• Chaucer was from: London born mid 1340’s son of John Chaucer- London Vinter.
• Known for his French poetry.
• Served in one of the campaigns in the 100 years war (taken prisoner and ransomed)
• Married daughter of sir Payne Roet.
• 1370’s travelled abroad on diplomatic missions for the king.
• 1386 Knight of shire of kent. – Started to write the Cantebury Tales
• Cantebury tales : 20-25% french
o Cross class cluster
o Chose and tailor his lanauge to suit every story and teller.
• Creation of mood/tone/realisation of characters
• Proved and re-formed English fit for great littérature.
(page 24)
• Had no problem with rude and Saucy words
• Chaucer knew dialects well.
• Chaucer planted English deeply in the country which bore its name.
• Social variations
• First official written text in English

Chaucer had an important influence on the language because he was the first one to write in English and also demonstrates the different dialects found at that period.

Who was Chaucer? Where was he from? What is his role in the history of the English language?

• Chaucer = first writer of the newly emerged England
• Describe society in his novels (Canterbury tale)
• He chooses to write in English
• Was a Londoner, born in mid 1340s
• Served in one of the campaigns in the hundred years war, taken prisoner, ransomed
• 20-25 % of the vocabulary used by Chaucer was from French
• Proved that the re-formed English was fit for great literature
• Liked French borrowing and enjoyed introducing his own synonyms
• Well aware of the dialects
• Chaucer planted English deeply in the country

Bragg, Melvyn (2003). The Adventure of English. P. 69 – 79

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• Conscious choice to write in English = symbol of rebirth of English
• From a middle class family, wine trade
• Began his writing career as a translator and imitator
• Master piece = the Canterbury tales
• Recognized one of the greatest poet of his generation (France + England)
• Emergence of English surnames and family names (during that time), “son” suffix means the son of as in Johnson
• Chaucer = French etymology

McCrum, R., MacNeil, R., Cran, W. (1986) The story of English, Faber and Faber edition, p. 81-84