Trilingualism in Early Middle English Miscellanies: Languages and Literature

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Abstract

Abstract:Between the middle of the thirteenth century and the middle of the fourteenth, trilingual miscellanies dramatically increased the presence of English in the manuscript record. Even in those that have an evident functional rationale, structural patterns appear that arise precisely from the combination of languages; and in those that are less obviously functional, language can influence not only the choice of texts, but also the organization. A non-pragmatic, 'literary' tendency can be identified, whereby texts acquire additional significance through their relationship to other texts and to the miscellany as a whole.