Pronunciation Guide - [More Detailed Pronunciation Web Pages]   [Glossary of Middle English Words]

- Pronounce the underlined, italicized “e” syllables
- Omit pronouncing the syllables in parentheses “( )”
- Stress vowels that have an “acute accent mark” over them [example: Á in Áprill]


Audio clips may not play in some browsers. Voice: Dr. Tom Hanks, Baylor University

Sorry, but your computer does not appear to handle this kind of video.
Middle English
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
Pronunciation
Whán that Áprill wíth his shóures sóote
Modern English
When April with its sweet-smelling showers

Line 1

Definitions: Whan (when, whenever), Aprill (April), his (his/its)
shoures (showers, rain storm; battle, attack), soote (fragrant, sweet, pleasing)


Any definition or word underlined in white represents a link.

Sorry, but your computer does not appear to handle this kind of video.
Middle English
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Pronunciation
The dróght(e) of Márch hath pérced tó the róote,
Modern English
Has pierced the drought of March to the root,

Line 2

Definitions: droghte (drought, dryness), hath (has), perced (pierced),
roote (root of a plant; source)


  • Links for this page
  • Links from all pages
  • More Detailed Pronunciation Web Pages -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/less-3.htm
  • Glossary of Middle English Words -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/glossar.htm
  • Portion of “A Tale from the Decameron” by John William Waterhouse (Image) -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waterhouse_decameron.jpg
  • Middle Ages -
    http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/middleages/
  • Norman Conquest -
    http://essentialnormanconquest.com/
  • Geoffrey Chaucer -
    http://courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/less-2.htm
  • end of the 14th century -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales
  • index page -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/index.html
  • Video 1-18 -
    http://whowillbethenextonline.com/chaucer-prologue-1-18-b.php
  • couplet -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couplet
  • website page -
    http://www.vmi.edu/fswebs.aspx?tid=34099&id=43269
  • linked to -
    http://www.vmi.edu/fswebs.aspx?tid=34099&id=34249
  • Chaucer MetaPage -
    http://englishcomplit.unc.edu/chaucer/index.html
  • verse -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verse_(poetry)
  • Dr. Tom Hanks -
    http://www.baylor.edu/English/index.php?id=50148
  • Larry D. Benson -
    http://www.bookfinder.com/author/larry-d-benson/
  • Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech Reader -
    http://www.zabaware.com/download.asp
  • Intro Page 19-34 -
    http://whowillbethenextonline.com/chaucer-prologue-19-34-a.php
  • Colonel S. Alan Baragona -
    http://www.vmi.edu/show.aspx?tid=36985&id=1482&ekmensel=8f9c37c3_124_0_1482_10
  • Color ideas for this page -
    http://colorschemedesigner.com/
  • PopUp window idea for links -
    http://www.quackit.com/html/codes/html_popup_window_code.cfm
  • jQuery regex() plugin used -
    http://examplet.buss.hk/jquery/selector.regex.php
  • YouTube -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBa5nN_JyPk
  • Medieval Singing Internet Ad - Contains Audio -
    http://whowillbethenextonline.com/chaucer-lodges.html
  • Ram -
    http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090310154109AADvbng
  • Aries -
    http://novareinna.com/constellation/aries.html
  • April -
    http://home.vicnet.net.au/~umbidas/middle_english_of_chaucer.htm
  • 'eie' -
    http://home.vicnet.net.au/~umbidas/middle_english_of_chaucer.htm
  • hir -
    http://pandapedia.com/wiki/Middle_English_personal_pronouns
  • corages -
    http://home.vicnet.net.au/~umbidas/middle_english_of_chaucer.htm
  • 'gon' -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/glossar.htm
  • pilgrimages -
    http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/NORpilgrimage.htm
  • palmeres -
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/palmer
  • strondes -
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/strand
  • 'ferrene', 'couth', 'sondri', 'lond' -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/glossar.htm
  • shires -
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shire
  • England -
    http://www.houseofnames.com/England-family-crest
  • Caunterbury -
    http://www.canterbury.co.uk/
  • wenden -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/glossar.htm
  • hooly blisful martir -
    http://www.nndb.com/people/838/000086580/
  • sechen, helpen, sik -
    http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/glossar.htm
  • Portion of “The Palace of Westminster” by David Iliff (Image) -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Diliff
  • Video 19-34 -
    http://whowillbethenextonline.com/chaucer-prologue-19-34-b.php
  • Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech Reader -
    http://www.zabaware.com/download.asp
  • Larry D. Benson -
    http://www.bookfinder.com/author/larry-d-benson/
  • Dr. Thomas Hanks, Jr. -
    http://www.baylor.edu/English/
  • Bifil -
    http://dictionary.babylon.com/bifel,_bifil/
  • Tabard -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabard
  • nyght -
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/night
  • hostelrye -
    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hostelry
  • nyne -
    http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/ielex/X/P0484.html
  • anon -
    http://www.yourdictionary.com/anon
  • Portion of “Leeds Castle, Kent, England” by David Iliff (Image) -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leeds_Castle,_Kent,_England_1_-_May_09.jpg
  • King Edward IV of England -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_IV_of_England
  • Painting of Caxton and King Edward IV by Daniel Maclise (Image) -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caxton_Showing_the_First_Specimen_of_His_Printing_to_King_Edward_IV_at_the_Almonry,_Westminster.jpg
  • British Library -
    http://www.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/caxtonslife.html
  • first book printed in English -
    http://www.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/firstbook.html
  • Fun Trivia -
    http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question76604.html
  • 1476 -
    http://www.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/canterbury.html
  • woodcuts -
    http://www.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/woodcuts.html
  • British Library -
    http://molcat1.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/search.asp
  • Keio University HUMI Project [Button] -
    http://www.humi.keio.ac.jp/bl2002/home.html
  • Native Language website (nativlang.com) -
    http://nativlang.com/middle-english/middle-english-canterbury-tales.php

To Top of Page   Color ideas for this page   PopUp window idea for this page   jQuery regex() plugin used   [This page is suitable for printing.]

This interesting website, nativlang.com, has tutorials on “Middle English”—as well as many other languages!