The Canterbury Tales shows which influence and lexical diversification?

• A. The Divine Comedy
• B. The Canterbury Tales
• C. Beowulf
• D. Shakespeare

Answer: (B)

Language change is shown here by how a single text blends sources and styles to create a varied vocabulary and voice. The Canterbury Tales demonstrates how Middle English absorbed words and forms from other languages—especially French and Latin—so the lexicon is rich and layered rather than uniform. That mix gives the tales a wide range of registers, from noble and clerical to folk speech, reflecting the social variety of the narrator characters. In short, the work embodies lexical diversification through its multilingual borrowings and its shifting stylistic tones across different tales. While other texts may influence Chaucer or exemplify different periods, this work itself is a clear example of how English can diversify in vocabulary and style within one literary frame.