TinyProf's Explanation 🎓

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1. What We're Solving

We're looking at two different spellings of the same word — "thunder" — in a specific medieval manuscript of the Bible, and figuring out why those two forms exist and what the difference means linguistically.

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2. The Approach

This is a historical morphology problem — meaning we need to think about how words were built (their endings/suffixes) in Middle English, not just how they were spelled randomly. Medieval scribes weren't just being careless; different endings often carried grammatical meaning.

The key question to ask yourself is: "Is this just a spelling variation, or is there a grammatical reason for the difference?"

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3. Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Break Down Both Forms

Look at the two words carefully:

| Form | Root | Ending | |------|------|--------| | thundr-is | thundr- | -is | | thundr-es | thundr- | -es |

Both share the same root. The only difference is the vowel in the suffix: i versus e.

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Step 2: Understand Middle English Noun Plurals and Genitives

In Middle English, words inherited endings from Old English, but these endings were gradually weakening and merging. The standard plural/genitive suffix was typically -es, but -is was a common regional or scribal variant — especially in:

• Northern and East Midland dialects of Middle English
• Writing from the late 14th / early 15th century (Wycliffe's period fits perfectly here!)

Think of it this way: > 🗣️ Some scribes wrote "stones" → others wrote "stonis" — same word, same grammar, different dialect habit

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Step 3: Consider the Context — Revelation 10:3-4

In this passage, John hears seven thunders speak. The word "thunders" appears as a plural noun. Both thundris and thundres are functioning as the plural form of "thunder."

The difference is NOT grammatical — both forms mean the same thing. The difference is orthographic and dialectal (spelling/dialect-based).

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Step 4: Why Does the Variation Exist Within One Manuscript?

Variations within a single manuscript like Christ Church MS 145 can suggest:

• 📜 Multiple scribes copying different sections (each with their own dialect habits)
• A scribe inconsistently applying spelling conventions
• The manuscript being a copy of a copy, blending different dialectal sources

The shift between -es and -is reflects the unstressed vowel reduction happening in Middle English — where unstressed vowels (like the e or i in suffixes) were becoming interchangeable because they were barely pronounced.

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Step 5: The Linguistic Term to Know

This kind of variation is called orthographic/dialectal alternation — or more specifically, it reflects the levelling of unstressed vowels in Middle English suffixes. The vowels /e/ and /i/ in unstressed syllables were often in free variation during this period.

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4. The Answer

> 'Thundris' and 'thundres' are both plural forms of "thunder" and are grammatically identical. The difference lies in the suffix vowel: -is versus -es. This reflects a common Middle English phenomenon where unstressed suffix vowels (particularly e and i) were interchangeable due to dialectal variation and the gradual weakening of unstressed syllables. The variation within Wycliffe's manuscript likely reflects scribal dialect differences or copying from mixed sources, rather than any meaningful grammatical distinction.

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5. Memory Tip 🧠

"When the vowel is unstressed, medieval scribes couldn't care less!"

In Middle English, if a vowel wasn't being stressed in speech, scribes would often write -es, -is, or even -ys almost interchangeably. If you see this pattern, ask: "Is this word in an unstressed syllable?" — and that's your clue it's a dialectal spelling variant, not a grammar change.

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You're exploring some really fascinating linguistic history here — keep asking these kinds of "why" questions! 🌟