ABSTRACT
The complex system of inections which we found in OE largely breaks down during the ME period, and in this chapter we will see the process of syncretism gaining momentum. Also, many strong (irregular) verbs became weak (regular). The terms synthetic and analytic are discussed, and the conclusion is that English in this period is moving towards being a more analytic language. The chapter also looks at pronunciation, and involves a comparison between ME sounds and received pronunciation (RP) today. Some things to do before reading on:
• There are quite a few linguistic concepts brought up in the chapter. Find out something about: synthetic and analytic languages, relative clauses, transitive and intransitive verbs, the perfect and the progressive aspects.
