The Land of Cockayne: A Utopian History of the English Language

“The Land of Cockayne”, a poem written around the year 1330, tells of a Utopian world in which food and pleasure await every man. Clearly, this early Utopian work was an exercise in wish fulfillment, as many people found day-to-day life very harsh in the 14th century. The emphasis on plentiful drink and food suggest that many people were starving at the time. In addition to its content reflecting what was happening socially and economically in 14th century Britain, “The Land of Cockayne” is a great source for English language history.

This text was written in what is known as Middle English. Middle English is the transition between the Old English era (700-1100 a.d.) and what we now speak, Modern English. Throughout these language periods, English evolved in structure, spelling, and grammar. Originally stemming from a Germanic branch of language, English would find itself undertaking a great change in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. William, Duke of Normandy, would conquer Britain, thus bringing his native French tongue with him. This marks the end of Old English and the beginning of Middle English.

Old English experienced many vowel changes as it entered the Middle English period. There are examples of this in “The Land of Cockayne”. Middle English simplified four of the Old English dipthongs. For example, the dipthong [Ã?µÃ?¿], such as in the word “heofon” would simply become the [Ã?µ] in “heven”, or what we call “heaven”. “Heven” is seen more than once in “The Land of Cockayne”, as it is speaking of a perfect world. According to the text, “Ã?Â?er nis lond under hevenriche”(3) like Cockayne. (There is no land under the heavenly kingdom like Cockayne, roughly.)

Middle English also brought the creation of new dipthongs by combining different Old English elements. By adding two familiar sounds together, like [Ã?µ] + [j], the sound [Ã?µi] was created. For example, “regn” [rÃ?µ?n] became “reign” [rÃ?µ?n], later to become what we know as ‘rain”. In Cockayne, everything is perfect. Not only does man find every pleasure fulfilled, the weather is always favorable. There is “No non storme, rein, no windeâÂ?¦”. (41)

In addition to there being no “rein” in Cockayne, it is mentioned that there is no “winde”. “Winde” became what we now know as “wind”. Like many Middle English words, it is recognizable to us because it has changed only slightly in spelling but has maintained the same meaning. The change that occurred to “winde” is known as shortening. Shortening occurred in Middle English after double consonants and consonant clusters. Thus, the “e” in “winde” would eventually drop off after the double consonant of “nd”. There are other words in “The Land of Cockayne” that would lose an “e” and become our Modern English version, such as “grasse”(8), “blisse”(24), and “blinde”(42).

The text, seemingly a whimsical story about a paradise where rivers flow with honey and wine, is very useful to one studying the history of the English language. It was written in a transitional period, one that bridges the old with the modern. If one were to look at an Old English text, it would be indecipherable to all but few. However, Middle English is when the language starts to become more recognizable to modern readers. A text such as this is a perfect opportunity to see examples of those transformations. Various vowel changes in Middle English are but one historical aspect of “The Land of Cockayne” in regard to language.