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Medieval commentaries on the origin and history of language used biblical history, from Creation to the Tower of Babel, as their starting-point, and described the progressive impairment of an originally perfect language. Biblical and classical sources raised questions for both medieval poets and commentators about the nature of language, its participation in the Fall, and its possible redemption. John M. Fyler focuses on how three major poets - Chaucer, Dante, and Jean de Meun - participated in these debates about language. He offers fresh analyses of how the history of language is described and debated in the Divine Comedy, the Canterbury Tales and the Roman de la Rose. While Dante follows the Augustinian idea of the Fall and subsequent redemption of language, Jean de Meun and Chaucer are skeptical about the possibilities for linguistic redemption and resign themselves, at least half-comically, to the linguistic implications of the Fall and the declining world.

Language and languages --- Langage et langues --- History --- Histoire --- Chaucer, Geoffrey, --- Dante Alighieri, --- Jean, --- Bible. --- Criticism, interpretation, etc. --- Historical linguistics --- Diachronic linguistics --- Dynamic linguistics --- Evolutionary linguistics --- Language and history --- Linguistics --- Chaucer, Jeffrey, --- Chʻiao-sou, Chieh-fu-lei, --- Chieh-fu-lei Chʻiao-sou, --- Choser, Dzheffri, --- Choser, Zheoffreĭ, --- Cosvr, Jvoffrvi, --- Tishūsar, Zhiyūfrī, --- Dante Alighieri --- Alighieri, Dante --- Dante, Alighieri --- Alih'eri, Dante --- Chopinel, Jean, --- Clopinel, Jean, --- De Meun, Jean, --- Jean Chopinel de Meun, --- Jean Clopinel de Meun, --- Jean de Meun, --- Jehan, --- Meun, Jean de, --- Clopinel, J. --- Gen 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Genesis 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Alihii︠e︡ri, Dante, --- Alaghieri, Dante, --- Aldigeri, Dante, --- Aligeri, Dante, --- Allighieri, Dante, --- Aligerius, Dantes, --- Aligheri, Dante, --- Alighieri, Dante, --- Alleghieri, Dante, --- Durante Alighieri, --- Tan-ting, --- Danding, --- Dāntī Alījyīrī, --- Alīyīrī, Dāntī, --- Dante Alih'i︠e︡ri, --- Dante, --- Dant Aligīeri, --- Aligīeri, Dant, --- Dantte, --- Tantte, --- Dantis Alagherius, --- Danthe Alighieri, --- Alighieri, Danthe, --- Dante Alig'i︠e︡ri, --- Alig'i︠e︡ri, Dante, --- Ailígiéirí, Dainté, --- Dantė Aligjeris, --- Dānté ʼAligiyéri, --- Makākavi Tāntē, --- Tāntē Alikiyari, --- Alikiyari, Tāntē, --- אליגיירי דנטי --- אליגירי, דנטי --- דאנטי אליגיירי --- דאנטי אליגיירי, --- דאנט, --- דנטה אליגיירי, --- דנטה אליגירי, --- דנטי אליגיארי, --- דנטי אליגירי, --- دانتى ألغييري --- دانتي أليجيري،, --- ダンテ, --- Данте Аліґгіері, --- Historical linguistics. --- Arts and Humanities --- Literature