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Article published In:
Journal of Historical Pragmatics
Vol. 20:1 (2019) ► pp.51–77

Chancery norms before Chancery English?

Templates in royal writs from Alfred the Great to William the Conqueror

| University of Zurich
This study analyses two Old English formulae gret freodlice (‘greets in a friendly manner’) and ic cyðe eow þæt (‘I make it known to you that’), which form a salutation–notification template in a document type called writs. It connects the emergence of this formulaic set to previous oral traditions of delivering news and messages, and to their reflection in dictation practices from at least the time of King Alfred. Their later routinisation and standardisation is seen as a factor brought about by the centralised production of royal writs and their subsequent adoption as templates in monastic scriptoria across the country. These templates continue to be recycled in the early Middle English period both in English and in Latin writs, ultimately shifting to Latin-only documents during the reign of William the Conqueror. Although this shift does not hinder the continuity of the selected bureaucratic template into the later Middle Ages, it affects the structure of the discourse community associated with the chancery norms, consolidating its core (those literate in Latin who are involved in production and preservation of writs) and marginalising its periphery (English speakers who used to make up the informed audience for writs in local courts).
Keywords: chancery, discourse communities, Latin, Old English, writs
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data
  • 3.Analysis
    • 3.1The two formulae in the pre-Conquest period
      • 3.1.1The first attestation and its possible origin
      • 3.1.2The salutation
      • 3.1.3The notification
      • 3.1.4Diffusion
        • 3.1.4.1Geographical diffusion
        • 3.1.4.2Genre diffusion
        • 3.1.4.3Social diffusion
    • 3.2The two formulae after the Conquest
      • 3.2.1The salutation
      • 3.2.2The notification
  • 4.Discussion and conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 June 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jhp.16004.tim
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