The Making of Chaucer's English : A Study of Words
- Author / Editor
- Cannon, Christopher.
The Making of Chaucer's English : A Study of Words
- Published
- Cambridge and New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- Physical Description
- xiv, 435 pp.
- Series
- Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature, no. 39
- Description
- Historical analysis of Chaucer's complete lexicon, arguing that his English is traditional rather than innovative. Chaucer naturalizes French and Latin words in ways similar to those of his English predecessors, often fusing foreign and native forms. Despite the "developmental hermeneutic" that has been assumed by scholars, Chaucer's lexical habits do not evolve significantly throughout his career. Instead, Chaucer uses the inventiveness inherent in traditional English to create the illusion of his own novelty. The success of this artful illusion underlies a "myth of origins" that produced-and continues to reinforce-the notion that he was unusually innovative. Includes an index of 9,117 "Words Studied," indicating their MED/OED citation, etymology, first-known uses, first uses in Chaucer, and frequency in Chaucer.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Chaucer's Influence and Later Allusion.
- Language and Word Studies.