John of Trevisa: Polychronicon

(Chap. lix: The Languages of Britain)

As hyt ys yknowe houh meny maner people buþ in þis ylond, þer buþ also of so meny people longages and tonges. [...]
Also Englyschmen, þeyh hy hadde fram þe bygynnyng þre maner speche, Souþeron, Norþeron, and Myddel speche in þe myddel of þe lond, as hy come of þre maner people of Germania, noþeles by commyxstion and mellyng, furst wiþ Danes and afterward wiþ Normans, in menye þe contray longage ys apeyred, and som vseþ strange wlaffyng, chyteryng, harryng, and garryng grisbittyng. þis apeyryng of þe burþtonge ys bycause of twey þinges. On ys for chyldern in scole, ayenes þe vsage and manere of al oþer nacions, buþ compelled for to leue here oune longage, and for to construe here lessons and here þinges a Freynsch, and habbeþ suþthe þe Normans come furst into Engelond. Also gentil men chidren buþ ytaut for to speke Freynsch fram tyme þat a buþ yrokked in here cradel, and conneþ speke and playe wiþ a child hys brouch; and oplondysch men wol lykne hamsylf to gentill men, and fondeþ wiþ gret bysynes for to speke Freynsch, for to be more ytold of. [...]
Al þe longage of þe Norþhumbres, and specialych at York, ys so scharp, slyttyng, and frotyng, and vnschape, þat we Souþeron men may þat longage vnneþe vndurstonde. Y trowe þat þat ys bycause þat a buþ nygh to strange men and aliens, þat spekeþ strangelych, and also bycause þat þe kynges of Engelond woneþ alwey fer fram þat contray...

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