AB language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In English philology, AB language refers to the early Middle English dialect of Ancrene Wisse and the Katherine Group (13th century). The term refers to the "A" and "B" manuscripts of the text, Bodley 34 and Corpus Christi 402
The term was coined 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."
[edit] References
- J. R. R. Tolkien, N. R. Ker, The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle (Ancrene Wisse, Corpus Christi College Cambridge MS 402), ISBN 0-19-722249-8
- J. R. R. Tolkien, Ancrene Wisse and Hali Meiðhad (1929).
- Potts, Stevenson, Wogan-Browne, Concordance to "Ancrene Wisse": MS Corpus Christi College Cambridge 402. (1993).
