It Midingelsk is de histoaryske foarm fan it Ingelsk sa't dat tusken 1066 en likernôch 1500 sprutsen waard, en dy't him út it Aldingelsk ûntjoech. Yn dy snuorje kaam it Ingelsk ynienen (troch de Normandyske Ynfaazje fan 1066) ûnder in withoe sterke ynfloed fan it Frânsk te stean. Sterk útinoar rinnende regionale farianten bleaune oant de fjirtjinde ieu njonken it Anglo-Frânsk yn gebrûk. Oan 'e ein fan it Midingelske tiidrek ûntstiene der wer ferskillende skriuwdialekten, lykas it saneamde London Standard, dêr't de moderne Ingelske standerttaal, sis mar it Oxford English fierhinne op basearre is. It Midingelsk hie, oars as it hjoeddeiske Nijingelsk, dat derút ûntstien is, noch fjouwer namfallen.
Foarbylden fan oerlevere Midingelske teksten binne:
It wichtichste literêre wurk yn it Midingelsk wie The Canterbury Tales fan Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales is in samling ferhalen dy't as in ramtfertelling beskreaun binne. De ramtfertelling omfiemet 23 ferhalen fan pylgers dy't ûnderweis binne nei de Katedraal fan Canterbury.
- Midingelsk
- Whan that Aprill with his shoures sote
- The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
- And bathed euery veyne in swich licour,
- Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
- Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
- Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth
- The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
- Hath in the Ram his halfe course yronne,
- And smale fowles maken melodye,
- That slepen al the niȝt with open ye—
- So priketh hem Nature in hir corages—
- Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
- And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
- To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;
- And specially, from euery shires ende
- Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
- The holy blissful martir for to seke,
- That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke.
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- Nijingelsk
- When April with its sweet showers
- has pierced the drought of March to the root,
- and bathed every vein in such liquor
- from whose power the flower is engendered;
- when Zephyr [the west wind] also, with his sweet breath
- has blown [into life] in every wood and heath
- the tender crops, and the young sun
- has run his half-course in the sign of the Ram [Aries],
- and small fowls make melody,
- who sleep all night with open eye
- - so Nature stimulates them in their hearts
- - THEN people long to go on pilgrimages,
- and palmers [pilgrims carrying palm leaves] to seek strange strands [coastlines],
- to far [distant] saints [holy places], known in various lands;
- and specially, from every shire's end [from every county]
- in England, to Canterbury they wend [go; went comes from "wend"],
- to seek the holy blissful martyr [Thomas à Becket]
- who helped them when they were sick.
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