Notes on Word Forms in Chaucer's English

Chaucerの英語における綴字管見

Jimura Akiyuki

広島大学文学部紀要

The Hiroshima University studies, Faculty of Letters

今日までChaucerの英語の綴字については様々な研究がなされてきたが、特定の刊本に基づいたものがほとんどであり、写本間の綴字の異同についてもA Variorum Edition of the Worls of Geoffray Chaucer(1979-)には異綴りの語が指摘されているものの、使用される綴字の傾向性を示す計量的・体系的分析は行われていない。そこで、本論では最新の研究資料(Jimura et al. :1995, 1996)を用いて、特定の刊本に限らず諸刊本を比較しながらChaucerの英語の綴字について調べた。本論は二部から構成されている。第1節ではL. D. Benson, ed. The Riverside Chaucer(1987)にみられる綴字の異同を、第2節では(1)TheCanterbury TalesのBlake版、Benson版、Robinson版の間にみられる綴字の異同を、(2)Trvilus and CriseydeのBenson版、Robinson版、Root版、Windeatt版の間にみられる綴字の異同を詳細に調査した。特定の刊本として取り上げたBenson版では、概して(1)接頭辞"y-" "i-"や"maked"の語中にある"k"のように、Chaucerの英語でよく省略される語頭及び語中の文字は、散文作品であるBoeceで使用される傾向のあること、(2)語尾の文字は前後に使われる単語の影響、特に後続する母音の有無に左右されやすいことがわかった。The Canterbury Tales諸刊本では、Benson版やRobinson版よりも、Blake版において語頭、語中、語尾の文字が省略されやすいこと、Troilus and Criseyde諸刊本では、Benson版、Robinson版、Windeatt版よりもRoot版において語頭、語中の文字が省略されやすいことがわかった。ただし、final -eについては、今回検討しなかった。

In this paper, we have studied how word forms in Chaucer's English stand, checking scrupulously against the variants of editors' spellings, and have shown some general phenomena of variant word forms in Chaucer's texts. The prefix "y-" or "i-" tends to be dropped in Chaucer's English. However, the forms "ifounde" and "iknowe" occur in Boece. The forms with the medial letter "k" such as "maked" and "makid" are often found in Boece. Boece, one of Chaucer's prose works, seems not to utilize the form "made" and its related forms. The collocation "ye han" and "I have" are often found. Present-day English does not use the form "han", but in Chaucer's English the preference for "han" and "have" tends to depend on the preceding subject such as personal pronouns "ye" and "I". The form "from" tends to precede the words with an initial vowel. In Chaucer's English, the form "fro" is more prevalent than "from". The collocation "this Pandarus" occurs more often than "this Pandare," especially in the initial position of a line. "Pandarus" never occurs at the beginning of a line, but often at the end of a line. "Pandare" tends to precede the words with an initial vowel.

We have then illustrated some textual differences of word forms in The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde, and examined some actual occurrences of the initial, medial, and final letter loss in Chaucer's English. In The Canterbury Tales, BL seems to prefer the word forms Modem English adopts, such as the forms without the prefix "y-", "corps", "subtil", "nat", "poore", "somne", and "wisdom". The words "corps" and "subtil" keep a medial letter. It is noticeable that the words "nat", "poore", "somne", and "wisdom" showing the loss of medial letter(s) are often used in BL. The word form "nat" often found in BL may show Chaucer's own spelling. BL prefers the loss of a final letter such as "a", "be", and "han". The final -e is not dealt with in this paper.

In Troilus and Criseyde, RT prefers the words without the initial and medial letters, compared with BN, RB, and WN. However, there is little difference between RT and BN, RB, WN in preference for the words without final letter(s).

English [ 830 ]

eng

広島大学文学部

[ISSN] 0437-5564

[NCID] AN00213701