#  Lesson 4 

 



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**Chaucer's Vocabulary**

The great majority of the words Chaucer uses are the same in meaning and function as their Modern English counterparts. They usually differ greatly in spelling. But this initial difficulty soon disappears as one reads through the text -- especially if one reads the text aloud. It is soon apparent that "y" and "i" are interchangeable and no one can have much difficulty with a phrase such as "*the Frenssh of Paris*." Indeed, in some ways Chaucer's vocabulary may be easier for a modern reader than it would have been for many unsophisticated Middle English readers.

This is because one of the most important characteristics of his language and style is his practice of "borrowing" from mainly French and Latin. (Click [here](/chaucers-romance-borrowings-0) if you want a more detailed discussion of borrowing.) He and his contemporaries introduced ("borrowed") words into the English language, moving them practically unchanged from Latin or French into English. The words in bold face in the following passage are derived from French or Latin:

> *Whan that **Aprill** with his shoures soote*  
> *The droghte of **March** hath **perced** to the roote,*  
> *And bathed every **veyne** in swich **licour***  
> *Of which **vertu** **engendred** is the **flour**;*  
> *Whan **Zephirus** eek with his sweete breeth*  
> ***Inspired** hath in every holt and heeth*  
> *The **tendre** croppes, and the yonge sonne*  
> *Hath in the Ram his half **cours** yronne,*  
> *And smale foweles maken **melodye**,*  
> *That slepen al the nyght with open ye*  
> *(So priketh hem **Nature** in hir **corages**),*  
> *Thanne longen folk to goon on **pilgrimages**,*  
> *And **palmeres** for to seken **straunge** strondes,*  
> *To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;*  
> *And **specially** from every shires ende*  
> *Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,*  
> *The hooly blisful **martir** for to seke,*  
> *That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.*

Some of these words -- *Aprill*, *March*, *pilgrimage* -- had been in the language for centuries and seemed pure English to Chaucer's first hearers; others first appear in the fourteenth century and may still have sounded a bit "literary" to the hearers. The word *inspired* appears here for the first time in English, and its meaning (lit. "breathe into") was clear only to those who knew French or Latin and could realize its metaphoric force (the Latin Vulgate Bible has "inspiravit" for The King James' "breathed into" in Gen. 2:7, the account of the creation of man). A first-time modern reader may miss the metaphor, but the word "inspire" is now familiar, as are almost all the borrowings in this passage. Such borrowings are part of the "high style" that Chaucer introduced into English literature. (Click [here](/pages/high-style)[ ](/high-style)if you want a more detailed discussion of style.)

However, the beginning reader should spend more of his or her time on the very common words, which do indeed differ from modern English, and which one must know to read Chaucer with ease. Special care must be taken with words which look like Modern English but often have meanings that have been lost (Stephen A. Barney calls them "false friends"; they seem familiar and often have the modern meanings we expect, but they frequently do not and may mislead the reader).

Read through a list of very [common Chaucerian words](/common-chaucerian-words); do not try to memorize them, but read slowly and note the meanings well.

These are basic Middle English words that will appear frequently in Chaucer's works and offer the greatest difficulty to beginning readers; time spent on these lists will amply repay its expenditure.

Pay special attention to the conjunctions (repeated here):

> Sortal
> 
> although, even if
> 
> for, for that
> 
> because
> 
> als, al so
> 
> as
> 
> for to
> 
> in order to
> 
> and, and if
> 
> if
> 
> other, outher
> 
> or
> 
> but, but if
> 
> if, unless
> 
> or... or
> 
> either... or
> 
> eek/eke
> 
> also
> 
> sin/syn
> 
> since
> 
> forthy
> 
> therefore
> 
> sithe(n)
> 
> since
> 
> forwhy
> 
> because
> 
> ther(as)
> 
> where
> 
> wher
> 
> whether; also used to introduce a question

The auxiliary ("helping" or "modal") verbs should also be considered carefully:

> **Do, did** have their modern meanings but they are also used as causative verbs: **And for oure owne tresor doon us hange** (And have us hanged for our own treasure).
> 
> **Gan, gonne** are used for periphrastic plurals somewhat like modern "do" and "did": **And homward gonne they ride**.
> 
> **Kan, koude** Most often means "can, know how to" but it can also be a transitive verb meaning "know" **She koude muchel of wandryng** (She knew much of wandering)."
> 
> **Let, leet** usually means "allow, permit" but it is also used as a causative" **duc Theseus leet crye** (Duc Theseus had \[caused to be\] announced).
> 
> **May, mighte** usually have their modern meanings but they often carry the older meaning of "can, could": **"I se," quod he, "as wel as ever I mighte** ("I see," he said, "as well as I ever could.")
> 
> **Mot(e), moot** have two contrary senses, "may" and "must": **Also moote I thee** ("As I may prosper"), **A man moot nedes love** (A man must by necessity love).
> 
> **Shal, shullen** have their modern meaning (**How shal the world be served?** but they are also used with a sense of obligation ("must"): **Whoso shal telle a tale** (Whoever must tell a tale). **Shal, shullen** are also sometimes used with an understood verb of motion: **for I shal to Surrye** (For I must go to Syria).
> 
> **Wol, will, wolde** usually mean "will" or "would" but they may also carry the meaning "desire, want to": **He wolde the see were kept** (He wanted the sea to be guarded), **That I wol lyve in poverte wilfully?** (That I want to live in voluntary poverty?).