This textbook invites the student to explore early English syntax by looking at the linguistic characteristics of well- known texts throughout the early history of English. It shows how that piece of the language fits in to the broader picture of how English is developing and introduces the student to the real writing of the period.

List of Abbreviations Chapter 1 Introduction 1 The history of English in a nutshell 2 Functions and case 3 Verbal inflection and clause structure 4 Language change 5 Sources and resources 6 Conclusion Chapter 2 The Syntax of Old, Middle, and Early Modern English 1 Major Changes in the Syntax of English 2 Word Order 3 Inflections 4 Demonstratives, pronouns, and articles 5 Clause boundaries 6 Dialects in English 7 Conclusion Chapter 3 Old English Before 1100 1 The script 2 Historical prose narrative: Orosius 3 Sermon: Wulfstan on the Antichrist 4 Biblical gloss and translation: Lindisfarne, Rushworth, and Corpus Versions 5 Poetic monologue: the Wife’s Lament and the Wanderer 6 Conclusion Chapter 4 Early Middle English 1100-1300 1 Historical prose narrative: Peterborough Chronicle 2 Prose Legend: Seinte Katerine 3 Debate poetry: The Owl and the Nightingale 4 Historical didactic poetry: Physiologus (Bestiary) 5 Prose: Richard Rolle’s Psalter Preface 6 Conclusion Chapter 5 Late Middle English and Early Modern 1300-1600 1 Didactic poem: Cleanness 2 Instructional scientific prose: Chaucer’s Astrolabe 3 Religious: Margery of Kempe 4 Romance: Caxton 5 Chronicle and letters: Henry Machyn and Queen Elizabeth 6 Conclusion Chapter 6 Conclusion Appendix I Summary of all grammatical information Appendix II Background on texts Appendix III Keys to the exercises Bibliography Glossary Index