The Sparse Inflection of Middle and Modern English

Even though Middle English lacks many inflections found in Old English, Emonds and Faarlund (2014) do not focus on arguments for the AN Hypothesis based on morphology. Nonetheless, as in syntax, whenever differences arise between West and North Germanic, the characteristics of ME inflection, with the exception of second-person singular agreement, all point to Old Scandinavian as their source. In our view, this is no surprise, since Middle English derives from the latter and not from Old English.