Studies in the Late Medieval Dialect Materials of Essex

This thesis is an investigation into the medieval dialect materials of Essex. The main sources are the group of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century texts localised linguistically to Essex by the Linguistic Atlas of Late Mediaeval English (McIntosh et al, The methodology used is that developed by the editors of the Linguistic Atlas, however, this thesis goes beyond the Atlas in its analysis of the texts and in its use of the evidence for a descriptive and interpretative study. The aims are to provide a contextualisatlon of the evidence and to describe the characteristics of the Essex dialect. The material is related to the available Old and Early Middle English material, and the external history of Essex in the medieval period is outlined. A linguistic analysis of each text is conducted and from this, criteria for the localisation of texts to the Essex area are described. Problematic localisations of certain texts are reviewed. The evidence provided in certain texts of particular patterns of scribal behaviour will be considered. A number of special studies concentrating on particular features of Interest in the Essex dialect will be carried out: investigations into the development of West Saxon ae, the development of the late medieval pronominal system in Essex, and the relationship of the Essex dialect to London English. The thesis is accompanied by five appendices, which provide a copy of the questionnaire used for this study, the linguistic data, organised into linguistic profiles, and databases describing the source material. This study is one of a number of regional studies intended as a contribution to a larger project currently underway at the University of Glasgow. It is hoped that it will provide a comprehensive body of information, and a description of the important characteristics of the Essex dialect. It is hoped that this thesis provides a worthwhile contribution to the subject and that it may suggest some useful directions upon which others may build