8 - Scientific language and spelling standardisation 1375–1550

Summary

Aim and outline of this study

The aim of this article is to assess spellings in scientific writing c.1375–1550 in relation to the incipient standardisation of spelling in some Central Midlands text types and the spread of the national standard spelling system. I approach the topic from a sociolinguistic point of view, taking into account the sociohistorical setting of the time and its nationalistic language policy. The language of science formed a new register in English during this period, widening the functions of the vernacular to the prestige area of learning; the conventions of writing science were transferred from authoritative Greco-Roman models. The vernacularisation process started in the latter half of the fourteenth century and continued to the seventeenth century. Thus it coincides with the process of language standardisation, as the period from 1400 to 1660 was concerned with the establishment of a written standard throughout the country (Blake 1996: 12).

This article claims that the form of the new register of scientific writing was a conscious choice, both distinct and influential. This language variety is known as the Central Midland Standard in the literature, and it has mainly been associated with Wycliffite writings. In the present paper it will be referred to as the Central Midland spelling system in scientific texts, as this is a more precise label for the features considered here. The empirical part of this study proves that Central Midland spellings were widely disseminated in scientific writing and continued in use in the late fifteenth century.