Pronouns
Middle English Grammar 1
Chapter 5 · Pronouns
📜 Pronouns
Pronouns are the one part of the grammar that kept its cases. Nouns lost most of theirs (Chapter 2), but Middle English still has he and him, we and us. This chapter gives the personal pronoun table from Wikipedia's Middle English article, the two big newcomers she and they, and the points where the article is silent. For the Old English pronouns, see Old English Grammar 1.
The personal pronouns
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive (before a noun) | Modern English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | ic / ich / I | me / mi | min / minen (pl.) | I, me, my |
| 2nd singular | þou / þu / tu / þeou | þe | þi / ti | thou, thee, thy |
| 3rd masculine | he | him / hine | his / hisse / hes | he, him, his |
| 3rd feminine | scheo / scho / ȝho | heo / his / hie / hies / hire | hio / heo / hire / heore | she, her, her |
| 3rd neuter | hit | hit / him | his | it, it, its |
| 1st plural | we | us / ous | ure[n] / our[e] / ures / urne | we, us, our |
| 2nd plural | ȝe / ye | eow / [ȝ]ou / ȝow / gu / you | eower / [ȝ]ower / gur / [e]our | ye, you, your |
| 3rd plural (Old English line) | heo / he | his / heo[m] | heore / her | they, them, their |
| 3rd plural (Old Norse line) | þa / þei / þeo / þo | þem / þo | þeir | they, them, their |
The article also lists possessive pronouns used alone and reflexive forms. A few of them: min / mire / minre (mine), þin / þyn (thine), oures (ours), youres (yours), him-seluen (himself), mi seluen (myself). The third-person plural rows were the least clear in the extraction, so I report them as they appeared.
The newcomers
| Word | What the article says | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|
| she | The feminine subject was replaced by a form of the demonstrative that developed into sche. The older form heyr stayed in some areas for a long time. | A date, or where the change began |
| they | The third-person plural is a borrowing from Old Norse. The Old English form clashed with the third-person singular and was eventually dropped. | A date, or the order in which they, them and their spread |
Old English Grammar 1's own pronoun table is for the older language. The Wikipedia article Old English grammar says the plural third-person pronouns "were all replaced with Old Norse forms during the Middle English period" and applies this to stressed positions. It does not mention she.
Changes in the third person
- Him for hine. The distinction between dative and accusative in the third person was gradually lost. hine was replaced by him south of the River Thames by the early 14th century.
- Neuter dative. The neuter dative him was largely replaced by it in most dialects by the 15th century.
- Dual lost. The Old English dual forms ("we two", "you two") disappeared.
- The h- forms. The table lists hit for "it" and heo[m], heore / her for "them" and "their" in the Old English line. The article does not discuss them in prose.
Thou and ye
The table gives þou as 2nd singular and ȝe / ye as 2nd plural. The article does not explain when a speaker chose one over the other (politeness, rank, familiarity), so I make no claim about it here. Chaucer's practice is likewise not covered in the pages I read.
Dialects
The article says many other variants exist because of spelling and pronunciation across time and dialect, but in this subsection it ties no form to a Northern, Midland, Southern or Kentish area. The only regional notes are heyr surviving in some areas and hine giving way to him south of the Thames. I give no further dialect pronoun forms.
Words to know
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject form | The pronoun used for the doer: he, we |
| Object form | The pronoun used for the receiver: him, us |
| Possessive | The pronoun that shows ownership: his, our |
| Reflexive | A pronoun that points back to the subject: himself |
| Dual | An Old English pronoun form for exactly two people, lost in Middle English |
✏️ Try It Yourself
Think of the answer first, then click to check.
1. What do pronouns keep that nouns mostly lost?
Show answer
Separate subject and object (nominative and accusative) forms.
2. Give three Middle English spellings of "she" from the table.
Show answer
scheo, scho, ȝho (the article's list).
3. Where did the new third-person plural come from?
Show answer
Old Norse.
4. Why, according to the article, was the Old English plural dropped?
Show answer
It clashed with the third-person singular.
5. Which Middle English forms for "they" and "their" come from Old Norse in the table?
Show answer
þei and its variants for "they", and þeir for "their".
6. What replaced hine, and where first?
Show answer
him, south of the River Thames by the early 14th century.
7. What replaced the neuter dative him?
Show answer
It, in most dialects by the 15th century.
8. Which Middle English pronouns are 2nd singular and 2nd plural subjects?
Show answer
þou (singular) and ȝe / ye (plural).
9. Does the article say when to use thou rather than ye?
Show answer
No. The chapter makes no claim about it.
10. Why does this chapter give no dialect pronoun forms?
Show answer
The article names only heyr surviving in some areas and the change south of the Thames, and ties no other form to a region.