Open syllable lengthening and the Ormulum

Abstract

The date at which Middle English open syllable lengthening began and the value of the evidence from the Ormulum (ca. 1200) in determining that date have been disputed. This paper reviews the evidence from Orm’s accent marks and breves and from the metrical scheme of the poem. Four words with etymologically short vowels were marked with an accent mark by Orm—one adjective in a stressed context and three nouns. Evidence from the use of breves (under the theory that Orm so marked those words which were in danger of being “mispronounced” with long vowels) indicates that content words are marked more often than function words, with nouns being marked most frequently, then verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Both Orm’s use of accent marks and his use of breves are in accord with what the theory of lexical diffusion would lead one to expect at the beginning stage of open-syllable lengthening. Similarly, Orm’s use of several nouns with etymologically short vowels in the penultimate syllable of his line of verse (which required a heavy syllable) supports the conclusion that open-syllable lengthening had begun in his dialect.