In
English philology, AB language is a variety of
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
found in the Corpus manuscript, containing ''
Ancrene Wisse'' (whence "A"), and in MS Bodley 34 in
Bodleian Library, Oxford (whence "B"). The Bodley manuscript includes what is known as the
Katherine Group. The
Wooing Group texts use this same language.
The term was coined in 1929 by
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...
who noted that the dialect of both manuscripts is highly standardized, pointing to "a
'standard' language based on one in use in the
West Midlands in the 13th century." AB language is "characterized by French and Norse loanwords, colloquial expressions, conservative spelling, and similarities to Old English syntax".
According to Michelle M. Sauer:
See also
*
Mercian dialect
References
Sources
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* 2 vols.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ab Language
Middle English
Standard languages