Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 2: Notes
General
Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 2: Notes
English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500
Adjectives which in OE. end in e retain that termination in all cases.
Weak inflections are _s. n. m._ ȝuldene 170, rihtwise 193, _neut._ blake
110, willesfule 205, _s. d. f._ swarte 89, _s. d. neut._ ferliche 102,
_s. a. m._ willesfule 44, _f._ brihte 269: strong inflections are _s. d.
f._ inwarde 72, _s. a. f._ longe 254: swote _s. n. m._ 275, _neut._ 291
(#swōt#) has conformed to swete. All other adjectives are uninflected in
the singular. Those in -ig lose g, anlepi 313, eadi 243, hali 234:
#lȳtel# is lutle _s. a. f._ 235; lutle _s. a. neut._ 328, lut _pl. n._
187, few people, are used as nouns; #mycel# is mostly muche, but muchel
_s. d. neut. strong_ 166, muchele _weak_ 300, _pl. a._ 314: #āgen# gives
ahne _s. d. f._ 305, _pl. d._ 184. The plural ends in -e, ȝarowe 260,
wakere 57, 142, misliche 127, unmihtie 191; exceptions are _n._ ful 239,
hal 93, ilich 97, hardi 56, lusti 318, _d._ eadi 269, mislich 20, seli
280, snawi 100, _a._ unseli 121, wurð 194. OE. #āna# is ane 200; #ān# is
an, a, _s. g._ anes 311, _d._ ane 207, _a._ 216: #nān# is nan, na,
_s. g._ nanes 317, _pl. n._ nane 274. Adjectives used as nouns are
rarely inflected, as heardes _s. g._ 163, 172, nesches 172, uuele _pl.
n._ 224: comparatives regularly end in e, brihtre 287, deopre 296, earre
103, leatere 103, wurse 102, but grisluker 97; of superlatives earste
36, forme 195, leaste 115, 118, measte 115 have weak inflection.
The personal pronouns are ich, me, we, ure 181, us, þu, tu after t, þe,
ȝe, ow. The pronoun of the third person is _s. n._ he _m._ 6, ha _f._ 10
&c., hit _neut._ 13; _g._ hire _f._ 11; _d._ him _m._ 35, hire _f._ 42,
_a._ hire _f._ 8 (with hus _neut._), 11, 33 (with þeaw _m._), 43, 87,
hit _neut._ 10, 85; _pl. n._ ha 89 &c., heo 93, 274, 276; _g._ hare 18;
_d._ ham 55; _a._ 13. Reflexives are me 190, him 54, hire 180, 205, ham
94, me seolf 189 (possibly definitive), me seoluen 117, us seolf 191,
193, us seoluen 5, him seolf 27, him seoluen 109, 309, hire seoluen 182;
definitive are seolf 8, 228, him seolf 277, him ane 200; possessives are
mi _s._ 80, 116, min 163, 196, mine _pl._ 164, 234, ure 4, þi _s._ 78,
þin 319, his 5, hire 12, hare 51, 122. The definite article is þe, te
after t; inflected forms are þet _s. n. neut._ 33, 214, þen _s. d. m._
158, _s. a. m._ 212, þet _s. a. neut._ 248; the instrumental is þe 11,
142. Þet is used demonstratively 35, 103, 104, þet ilke 89, 105, 256;
the article is also used pronominally, þeo þe, those who 48, 49, 56,
247, those which 178, one who 180, þeo, those 15. The compound
demonstrative is _s. n._ þes _m._ 6, tis 106, þis _neut._ 8, 53, 124,
tis 26, _s. d._ þis _m._ 318, þisse _f._ 136, þeos 146, þis 110, _neut._
9, 102, 137, 198, 199, _s. a._ þes _m._ 118, þis _neut._ 284, 285, tis
152; _pl. n._ þeos 17, 202, _d._ 24, 101, 207, 285, þeose 97, _a._ þeos
140. The relatives are þe, þet; þet . . . hire 10, = whom, þet te 154, =
what. Interrogatives are hwam 39, hwet 60 (4), hweðer 101, hwuch 6 (6),
hwucche _pl.
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