...developed into centers of university, economic, and courtly life. East Midland, one of the subdivisions of Midland, had by that time become the speech of the entire metropolitan area of the capital, London, and probably had spread south of the Thames River into Kent and Surrey.

This form of the English language was disseminated and popularized partly by poets in the 14th century - including Chaucer. In essence the works of Chaucer therefore added to the prominence of the East Midland dialect and, coupled with other historical factors, was to lead to the developm

Furthermore, in this regard Schlauch also refers to the fact that Chaucer's writing and use of language often differed from the accepted form of London English, For example,

Notwithstanding the above view, most critics and studies leave little doubt as to the impact and significance of Chaucer in the development of the English language and literature. Possibly one of the most important aspects is that he increased the prestige of English in terms of its perception as a literary language. He was also responsible for "extending the range of its poetic vocabulary and meters." (Chaucer, Geoffrey 1340 - 400)

However critics also stress that it would not be entirely correct to overstate Chaucer's influence on the language of the time. "...it would be a mistake to argue (as was formerly done) that Chaucer's creative work was a sole or even a primary factor in the achievement of an English national language." ( ibid) These critics are of th

Some common words found in the essay are:
William Shakespeare, Middle English, Standard English, Geoffrey Chaucer, East Midland, London English, Kent Surrey, Chaucer Geoffrey, John Dryden, east midland, development english, midland dialect, English Homer, english terms, english language, little doubt, development english language, east midland dialect, influence language,
Approximate Word count = 637
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)