96 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



Hungary, Bohemia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, 

 Germany, Ireland, Italy, Panama, Philippine Islands, Portugal, 

 Roumania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales. 



Ewald Flligel, Stanford Universit5^ Cal. Grant No. 146. For the 



preparation of a lexicon to the works of Chaziccr. $7,500. 



Abstract of Report. — The work as planned is to be a lexicon to the 

 works of Chaucer, based on the texts as published by the Chaucer 

 Society. It aims to give scrupulously exact and complete quota- 

 tions of all the words used in the genuine works of Chaucer, and in 

 such of the so-called "spurious" works about which still ^^ sub 

 judice lis est. ' ' It aims, further, to give full information as to the 

 orthography and morphology of these words and their meaning, 

 usage, and construction. The individual article will consist of a 

 brief heading and a main part. The heading will consist of several 

 paragraphs. 



The first rubric is to be devoted to the orthography of the words- 

 It is to give information about the different forms as they appear in 

 the different manuscripts ; about the dialectical and other peculiar- 

 ities of scribes, etc. ; about the rimes, if any ; about the accentua- 

 tion (it ought to give statistical information about changes of accent, 

 as between nature and nature, pite and pite, etc.). 



The second rubric is to deal with the morphology of the words 

 {e. g., the parts of the verb, etc.). 



The third with the etymology. 



The fourth with the semasiology, with the meaning of the indi- 

 vidual words in Chaucer's time whenever necessary. It will answer 

 such questions as : "Is the word generally used in Chaucer's time, 

 and in the same meaning in which Chaucer uses it ? Is it an un- 

 common word or one with a special flavor? (Slang, courtier's 

 word ?) If it is a French word, what is the meaning of the word 

 in contemporary Old French? How do Marchault, Deschamps, 

 Froissart use the word ? e.g.. What is the meaning of the French* 

 word ' armee ' in Chaucer's time ('at many a noble armee had he 

 be ' ) ? Is it a military expedition on land or sea ? Is ' arrive ' 

 (the reading of some MSS.) a French word in Chaucer's time? 

 What does ' presse ' mean in Old French ( ' Flee from the presse ' ) ? 

 etc. Does ' gouernance ' mean 'self-control' (as Skeathasit), or 

 ' conduite ' (as the French usage of Chaucer's time proves it)? 

 Does ' Regal}^e ' mean ' rule, authority ' or rather ' royal preroga- 

 tive,' ' royal dignity,' etc. ?" 



