‘Linguam Anglicam […] omnino de terra delere proponit’: language and nation in early 14th-century England

In one of his 1295 writs of summons, Edward I reported the threat of an upcoming French invasion, further fuelling the sense of danger by adding that Philip IV had committed himself to the heinous task of erasing the English language from the earth. For Edward I’s propaganda to be effective, gens and lingua should by then have been perceived as one and the same: the destruction of the language corresponding to that of the nation. However, wars against neighbouring countries were certainly not the sole force at work in the promotion of the use of Middle English at the turn of the 14th century. The preoccupations concerning the education of the clergy emerging from the decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 had already prompted the flourishing of Middle English treatises of pastoral guidance. This essay analyses the linguistic stance of early 14th-century secular and religious texts to assess the influence exerted on them by their relevant historical and cultural context. Particular attention is devoted to the Auchinleck Manuscript, a miscellaneum reputedly imbued with nationalistic feelings. Significantly, in this collection, English does not appear to be a mere means, but rather a relevant topic in its own right.