The present topic deals with the mediaeval period, which is dated in English history between the years 700 and 1480. It was the time which was marked by a transition from the Old English period in the development of the English language to the Middle English, at around 1066 (the Norman invasion). It was also at that time that traditional literary types, epic and ballad began to appear in writing, together with a new oral form called romance. Both the oral tradition and the written versions coexisted during the period and the characteristics of the former will occupy the first part of this presentation.