Electronic Corpus of Diplomatic Parallel Manuscript Texts as a Tool for Historical Studies of English - Constructing a Basis for the Examination of the AB Language

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For historical linguists, the transition period between Old and Middle English remains poorly understood, because of the shortage of written evidence. In this situation, the long prose text known as Ancrene Wisse is of great importance, not least because of the number of surviving manuscripts, quite exceptional for an Early Middle English work. Small differences in dating, provenance and scribal habits between the manuscripts allow us to track with unequalled detail the changes and variations that were occurring in the English of this period. To have the texts available in parallel electronic form will provide a valuable tool for the historical study of English.Our publications include : The Ancrene Wisse : A Four-Manuscript Parallel Text. Preface and Parts 1-4(Studies in English Medieval Language and Literature, 7)(Frankfurt am Main/Berlin : Peter Lang, 2003) and The Ancrene Wisse : A Four-Manuscript Parallel Text. Parts 5-8 with Wordlists (Studies in English Medieval Language and Literature, 11) (Peter Lang, 2005). Our 2-volume Ancrene Wisse parallel text edition is the first to combine readings from the four main manuscripts, i.e. MSS. A, C, N and V, which are printed in parallel form, line by line. This provides a useful tool not only for historical studies in general but also for studies focussing on the transition period. In particular, this kind of parallel diplomatic manuscript text provides a basis for a close examination of the AB language.