A Short Grammar of Middle English I. [antikvár]

PREFACE The present Short Grammar of Middle English is a revised version of the author's Outlines of Middle English published in 1964 and used since then as the handbook of Middle English for students of English at Polish universities. The aim of the Grammar is to give a succinct and up-to-date presentation of the Middle English language which has not yet been analyzed in terms of the achievements of modern linguistic science. In this place I would like to express my thanks to all those who have thoroughly read and criticized the Outlines, the predecessor of the present Grammar, or used it in the classroom, and subsequently sent me their comments and opinions. Among these I owe a special debt to Prof. Dr. Bohumil Trnka of Charles University (Prague), Doc. Dr. Alfred Reszkiewicz of Warsaw University, Doc. Dr. Ruta Sikora of Jagiellonian University (Cracow) and Dr. Aleksander Szwe- dek of L6dz University for their valuable suggestions leading to the improvement of my work. The present Short Grammar of Middle English could not have been written without the use of earlier works on the subject and it is needless to say how greatly indebted I am to many distinguished scholars, who have worked on Middle English in the past and whose invaluable contributions in the field I have consulted and quoted throughout the Grammar. Last, but not least, my thanks are due to my friend and colleague John J. Richardson, B. A. (London) who has read the work in manuscript and made a number of stylistic improvements. Poznan, September, 1966. J. F.