Page:An elementary middle English grammar (IA elementarymiddle00wrig).pdf/14

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viii
Preface

been intentionally omitted. All or most of them will doubtless be found in Morsbach's Mittelenglische Grammatik, Halle, 1896, and Luick's Historische Grammatik der englischen Sprache, Leipzig, 1914-21, if these two comprehensive grammars are ever completed, as well as some of them in Chaucers Sprache und Verskunst by B. ten Brink, third edition, edited by E. Eckhardt, Leipzig, 1920. We gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to the above-mentioned works, and to Björkman's Scandinavian Loan-words in Middle English, Halle, 1900-2.

We are convinced that the student who conscientiously works through this book will find that he has gained a thorough general knowledge of Middle English sound-laws and inflexions, and has thereby, not only laid a solid foundation for further study of historical English grammar, but also for a fuller and more appreciative study of mediaeval English Literature.

In conclusion, we wish to express our sincere thanks to the Controller of the University Press for his great kindness in complying with our wishes in regard to special type, and to the Press reader for his valuable help with the reading of the proofs.

Joseph Wright.

Elizabeth Mary Wright.

Oxford,

October, 1923.