ABSTRACT
For convenience, the main emphasis in this chapter will be on the internal development of the language, particularly as regards phonology, morphology and syntax, in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; but since the sixteenth century is important also for the rise of conscious attitudes towards the language question, conscious attempts to formulate linguistic norms, and in general for an intense and active preoccupation with linguistic matters, the discussion of these themes will be deferred until the next chapter.
