WORD BUILDING IN MIDDLE ENGLISH. MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS AND LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION

Аннотация

The Middle English period (circa 1100–1500) represents a transformative phase in the development of the English language, particularly in the area of word formation. This article explores the primary morphological processes that characterized word building during this time, including affixation, compounding, borrowing, and analogical creation. The influence of Norman French and Latin significantly enriched the English lexicon and introduced new affixes and syntactic patterns. Native word-building strategies evolved in response to sociolinguistic changes, such as increased literacy, urbanization, and institutional growth. Through detailed analysis of linguistic examples, this study highlights how Middle English served as a crucial bridge between Old English and the more flexible, expansive lexicon of Modern English. The findings underscore the dynamic interplay between internal linguistic innovation and external cultural contact in shaping English word formation practices. Keywords: Middle English, word building, morphology, morphological patterns, linguistic evolution, affixation, compounding, derivation, Old English influence, Norman French, lexical development, language change, historical linguistics, analytic structure, derivational morphology.