A Metrical Analysis of Middle English Alliterative Poetry : Repetitious Mode and Formulaic Word Collocation

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In alliterative verse, the repetition of the same sound establishes weight in sound and meaning since identical sound does not frequently initiate successive words in ordinary speech. In Middle English alliterative verse, another type of repetition is found in similar wording and phrasing as observed by Cable, Duggan, Oakden, Putter, and Turville-Petre. Using corpora consisting of approximately 30,000 lines of major and minor ME alliterative poems, I have analyzed the recurring collocation patterns of the second half-line, which is known to be structured by precise metrical rules. The analysis of the metrical and syntactic compositions of the second half-line illuminates whether recurring phrases and clauses can be considered as a special device in ME alliterative meter. Though not in the form of identical words, these collocation patterns seem to act as formulaic expressions and establish the unique mode of repetition.