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 Englis ...
found in the Corpus manuscript, containing ''
Ancrene Wisse
''Ancrene Wisse'' (also known as the ''Ancrene Riwle'' or ''Guide for Anchoresses'') is an anonymous monastic rule (or manual) for female anchoresses written in the early 13th century.
The work consists of eight parts: divine service, keeping th ...
'' (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 so-called ''Katherine Group'' is a group of five 13th century Middle English texts composed by an anonymous author of the English West Midlands, in a variety of Middle English known as AB language.
The texts are all addressed to anchoresse ...
; and the
Wooing Group texts use this same language.
The term was coined in 1929 by
J. R. R. Tolkien 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'.
[Michelle M. Sauer, 'Wooing Group', in:]
''Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature'' (2013)
/ref>
While there is no general agreement among scholars as to authorship, Ancrene Wisse, the KATHERINE GROUP, and the Wooing Group are often combined, albeit loosely, into a confederation of texts. They are connected by manuscript tradition, as many of the texts appear and reappear in manuscripts in various combinations. Perhaps most significantly, there exist numerous thematic parallels among the group, including a focus on a suffering human Christ who has a personal relationship with the primarily female audience, and a connection to anchoress
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...
es. Anchoresses were women who completely withdrew from earthly life by having themselves enclosed in small cells attached to churches, from which they could never depart. They communicated with servants and visitors through a window that looked out on the churchyard, and observed Mass and received communion through a window that was directed towards the high altar. As contemplatives, the anchoresses’ primary purpose was to pray, seeking complete union with God.
See also
*Mercian dialect
Mercian was a dialect spoken in the Anglian kingdom of Mercia (roughly speaking the Midlands of England, an area in which four kingdoms had been united under one monarchy). Together with Northumbrian, it was one of the two Anglian dialects. Th ...
Notes
References
* Corrie, Marilyn. 2006. "Middle English - Dialects and Diversity". ''The Oxford History of English''. Ed. Lynda Mugglestone. Oxford: OUP, pp. 86-119.
* Crystal, David. 2004. ''The Stories of English''. London: Penguin, chapter 9.
*.
*. (Reprinted in 2000 ).
*.
Middle English
Standard languages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ab Language