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Middle

Middle denotes the central or intermediate part, point, or position equidistant from extremities or limits.^[1]^[2] The term functions as both an adjective, describing something midway between poles (as in the middle of a line segment), and a noun, referring to that equidistant locus itself (as in the middle of a debate).^[3] Etymologically, it traces to Middle English middel, from Old English middel (denoting the waist or core), rooted in Proto-Germanic midilą, reflecting an ancient Indo-European sense of centrality amid surroundings.^[1]^[4] In fields like geometry, it identifies the midpoint dividing a segment proportionally; in logic, it informs principles rejecting ternary states between affirmation and negation.^[1] This positional invariance underpins measurement scales, social strata (e.g., the middle class as neither affluent nor indigent), and temporal divisions (e.g., the Middle Ages as interregnum between antiquity and modernity).^[3]

Definitions and Etymology

Core Meanings

The primary meaning of "middle" as an adjective denotes a position or state that is equally distant from two or more extremes or limits, serving as the central or medial point.^[1]^[5] This usage applies to spatial contexts, such as the middle seat in a row or the middle portion of a line segment equidistant from its endpoints.^[2] In temporal senses, it indicates an intermediate phase, like the middle of the 20th century spanning roughly 1930 to 1970, midway between the early and late periods.^[3] As a noun, "middle" refers to the central part or point of an object, period, or range, distinct from its boundaries or peripheries.^[5] For instance, the middle of a river denotes the central flow equidistant from banks, while in human anatomy, it can specify the waist or torso core.^[6] This sense extends to abstract intermediates, such as the arithmetic mean in statistics, calculated as the sum of values divided by their count, representing a balanced central tendency.^[1] In grammatical contexts, "middle" describes voices or constructions where the subject performs an action primarily benefiting itself, as in certain ancient languages like Ancient Greek's middle voice (e.g., "I wash myself" versus active "I wash the cloth").^[3] However, these specialized uses derive from the core spatial and positional connotations, emphasizing neither initiation nor reception at extremes but equilibrium in between.^[1]

Historical Linguistic Origins

The English word "middle" derives from Old English middel, attested before 1150 CE, denoting a point or part equally distant from extremes or limits.^[7]^[1] This form functioned as both adjective and noun, referring to the center, waist, or intermediate position, and is inherited from Proto-West Germanic midla-.^[7] The Old English middel stems from Proto-Germanic midilą or midlą, a diminutive formation of the adjective midja- ("middle"), which itself reconstructs to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root medhyo-, meaning "in the middle" or "between."^[7]^[8] PIE medhyo- underlies cognates across Indo-European languages, including Latin medius ("middle," as in mediterraneus for inland seas), Ancient Greek mésos ("middle"), and Sanskrit mádhya- ("middle"), reflecting a shared conceptual root for centrality or intermediacy dating to approximately 4500–2500 BCE in the reconstructed PIE lexicon.^[8]^[9] In Middle English (circa 1100–1500 CE), middel evolved with minor phonetic shifts, retaining core meanings of spatial or sequential intermediacy, as seen in texts like Chaucer's works where it denotes equitable division or central positioning.^[1] This continuity underscores the term's stability, with no major semantic drift until modern usages extended it metaphorically, though the historical core remains tied to empirical notions of equidistance rather than abstract ideology.^[7]

Conceptual and Philosophical Uses

Spatial and Geometric Interpretations

In geometry, the middle of a line segment is defined as the midpoint, the unique point that divides the segment into two congruent parts of equal length, being equidistant from both endpoints.^[10]^[11] This position can be calculated using the midpoint formula: for endpoints (x_1, y_1) and (x_2, y_2) in the Cartesian plane, the midpoint coordinates are \left( \frac{x_1 + x_2}{2}, \frac{y_1 + y_2}{2} \right).^[12]^[13] In two-dimensional space, the concept extends to medians of polygons, where the middle of a side is its midpoint, or to the centroid of a triangle, which serves as the balance point intersecting the medians at a 2:1 ratio from each vertex.^[14] For bounded regions like rectangles or circles, the spatial middle often coincides with the geometric center, the point equidistant from opposite boundaries along principal axes, though "middle" and "center" are not always synonymous—"middle" emphasizes midway positioning between extremes, while "center" implies symmetry or rotational invariance.^[15] Higher-dimensional geometric interpretations treat the middle as the arithmetic mean of coordinates across axes, generalizing the midpoint to hyperplanes or volumes; for example, in three-dimensional space, the middle of a line segment between points (x_1, y_1, z_1) and (x_2, y_2, z_2) is \left( \frac{x_1 + x_2}{2}, \frac{y_1 + y_2}{2}, \frac{z_1 + z_2}{2} \right).^[16] Spatially, this manifests as a central locus in enclosures, such as the approximate middle of a rectangular room calculated by averaging wall positions, facilitating navigation or equilibrium analysis in physics and engineering.^[17] In spatial reasoning, the middle denotes a relational position equidistant or proportionally balanced between multiple reference landmarks, distinct from absolute centrality, as evidenced in cognitive studies where it encodes relative placement amid environmental bounds.^[18] This interpretation underpins applications in computer graphics, where midpoint subdivision algorithms recursively bisect edges to approximate curves, ensuring uniform tessellation.^[19]

Temporal and Sequential Contexts

In temporal contexts, "middle" denotes the intermediate portion or point within a duration, equidistant from its start and end.^[1] This usage applies to divisions of time such as the middle decades of a century, referring to the central years between early and late phases, as in the period around 1940–1960 within the 20th century.^[1] Common compounds illustrate this, including midafternoon for the central part of the afternoon and midnight for the midpoint of the night, reflecting conventional rather than strictly astronomical divisions.^[20] Etymologically, the temporal sense traces to Old English middel, from Proto-Indo-European medhyo- ("middle"), evolving by the 14th century to describe phases like middle age as the interval between youth and old age, typically ages 40–50.^[7] This intermediate framing avoids extremes, paralleling broader applications such as middle way from around 1200, signifying a moderate path in temporal progression between opposing endpoints.^[7] In sequential contexts, "middle" identifies the central position in an ordered series or progression, neither first nor last.^[1] Recorded from circa 1300, it originally connoted "the second of three" in a linear arrangement, extending to any equidistant spot in longer sequences, such as the median element in a list of ordered items.^[7] This usage underpins concepts like narrative structure, where events unfold from the sequential middle onward, emphasizing continuity over strict chronology.^[1] In procedural or developmental sequences, it marks transitional stages, as in the core phase of a multi-step process distinct from initiation or completion.^[1]

Political and Ideological Middle Ground

The political and ideological middle ground refers to centrist positions that navigate between left-wing emphases on expansive state intervention and right-wing priorities of minimal government, prioritizing pragmatic, evidence-informed policies that aim for stability and broad consensus rather than ideological purity. Centrists often endorse mixed economies, combining market mechanisms with targeted welfare provisions, such as moderate redistributive measures to mitigate inequality without undermining incentives for productivity. This approach draws selectively from both sides, for instance supporting fiscal responsibility alongside social investments in education and health, as evidenced by historical centrist coalitions that sustained growth in post-war Europe through balanced budgets and universal basic services.^[21]^[22] In practice, the middle ground manifests in policies like gradual environmental regulations that incentivize private innovation over mandates, or immigration frameworks balancing border security with labor market needs, reflecting causal analyses that extreme restrictions or open borders both correlate with economic disruptions. Surveys indicate that self-identified moderates, comprising about 20-30% of electorates in polarized nations like the United States, tend to favor such hybrid solutions, though they show lower voter turnout (around 10-15% below partisans) due to disillusionment with binary debates.^[23]^[24] Critics from both extremes contend that centrism equates to moral equivocation or status quo preservation, potentially delaying necessary reforms amid crises like fiscal deficits exceeding 100% of GDP in many Western economies by 2023. However, longitudinal data from institutions tracking governance outcomes reveal that centrist administrations, such as those in Scandinavia blending free markets with safety nets, achieve higher life expectancy (78-82 years) and GDP per capita growth (1.5-2% annually) compared to more ideological regimes prone to volatility. Mainstream academic sources, often exhibiting left-leaning tilts in publication biases documented in meta-analyses of social science journals, may underemphasize these successes by framing centrism as insufficiently transformative.^[25]^[26]

Geographical and Topographical References

Human Settlements and Administrative Divisions

Middle Inlet, a town in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States, exemplifies a human settlement incorporating "Middle" to denote its intermediate position, with local governance handling services for a rural population.^[27] Similarly, Middle, a small locality in Shropshire, England, reflects central positioning within historical county boundaries.^[28] Administrative divisions using "Middle" often classify central or transitional zones for governance or statistics. The U.S. Census Bureau designates the Middle Atlantic Division as comprising New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, aggregating data for a population of 41,823,740 as part of regional analysis since the mid-20th century.^[29]^[30] In Germany, Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken) functions as a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative district, within Bavaria, overseeing 7,243 km² and 1,813,946 residents across five independent cities—including Nuremberg and Erlangen—and seven counties, with Ansbach as the administrative seat.^[31] Historically, England's Middlesex county, meaning "middle Saxons" and positioned between Essex and Surrey, operated as an administrative entity from the 19th century until its 1965 abolition, enveloping much of London's northwest suburbs and influencing urban development patterns.^[32]

Natural Features and Bodies of Water

The designation "middle" in the nomenclature of natural features and bodies of water typically denotes an intermediate or central branch, fork, or position relative to primary tributaries or surrounding waterways, facilitating descriptive geography in riverine and lacustrine systems. This convention is prevalent in North American hydrology, where "Middle" prefixes distinguish parallel streams or sub-basins within larger drainages, aiding navigation, resource management, and ecological assessment. Such features often exhibit characteristics transitional between upstream headwaters and downstream confluences, including moderated gradients, increased discharge from tributaries, and landforms like meanders or depositional bars. Rivers bearing "Middle" in their names include the Middle Fork American River in California, one of three primary forks converging to form the American River; it drains extensive Sierra Nevada terrain and supports hydroelectric infrastructure affecting 1,883 acres along its course and the adjacent Rubicon River.^[33] In Texas, the Middle Bosque River originates from Middle Bosque Creek approximately one mile northwest of Turnersville in northern Coryell County, with intermittent flow characterizing its upper reaches before joining the larger Bosque system.^[34] The Middle Concho River rises in Centralia Draw at coordinates 31°38' N, 101°13' W in eastern Upton County, Texas, and extends eastward for 90 miles across Reagan and Irion counties, contributing to the Concho River basin amid arid to semi-arid terrain.^[35] Lakes named Middle Lake, such as the 259-acre body in Walworth County, Wisconsin, feature a maximum depth of 40 feet and provide public boat landings for recreational access, supporting local fisheries including panfish, largemouth bass, and northern pike.^[36] These water bodies exemplify how positional naming reflects hydrological hierarchy, with empirical data from state agencies underscoring their roles in watershed dynamics and biodiversity.

Broader Regions and Designations

The term "Middle East" designates a geopolitical region primarily in southwestern Asia, extending to parts of North Africa, with core territories including the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant (encompassing Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria), Iraq, Iran, and often Turkey and Egypt.^[37] This designation originated in the late 19th century from a Western, particularly British, geopolitical perspective, positioning the area as intermediate between the "Near East" (closer to Europe) and the "Far East" (East Asia), rather than reflecting indigenous nomenclature.^[38] Boundaries remain fluid and context-dependent; for instance, the U.S. State Department includes 16 countries from Bahrain to Yemen, excluding sometimes-contested areas like the Maghreb, while broader definitions under "Greater Middle East" incorporate Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan for strategic analyses.^[39] The region's approximate area spans 7.2 million square kilometers, with a population exceeding 400 million as of 2023, characterized by diverse ethnic groups, arid climates, and strategic chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz.^[37] "Middle America," in continental geographic contexts, refers to the land bridge and adjacent islands between North and South America, comprising Mexico, the seven Central American republics (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama), and the Caribbean's 13 independent island nations plus territories.^[40] This designation highlights the region's transitional physiography, including volcanic arcs, coral atolls, and tectonic plate boundaries along the Caribbean Plate, covering about 3 million square kilometers with a population of roughly 220 million in 2023.^[41] Unlike the Middle East's Eurocentric framing, Middle America emphasizes physiogeographic continuity, though political mappings vary; for example, some frameworks exclude the Caribbean's smaller islands to focus on the mainland isthmus for trade corridor analyses.^[42] The term contrasts with narrower U.S.-centric uses of "Middle America" for the Midwest heartland, underscoring its role in hemispheric migration and economic corridors like the Panama Canal, operational since 1914 and handling 14,000 transits annually as of 2022.^[43] Other broader designations invoking "middle" include historical self-appellations like China's "Middle Kingdom" (Zhongguo), denoting its central cultural and imperial position in East Asia since the Zhou Dynasty (circa 1046–256 BCE), encompassing the Yellow and Yangtze river basins over 9.6 million square kilometers today. Similarly, ancient Egypt's "Middle Kingdom" (circa 2050–1710 BCE) referred to a unified Nile Valley realm, but modern geographic usage favors the above clusters for supraregional analysis. These terms often reflect relational positioning—spatial, cultural, or imperial—rather than absolute centrality, with modern applications influenced by organizations like the UN, which avoids rigid "Middle" categorizations in favor of subregional groupings for development metrics.^[44]

Historical and Chronological Periods

European Middle Ages

The European Middle Ages encompassed the period of Western European history from roughly the deposition of the last Western Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476 CE to approximately 1500 CE, bridging the decline of classical antiquity and the onset of the early modern era.^[45] This timeframe is subdivided into the Early Middle Ages (c. 476–1000 CE), marked by migrations, political fragmentation, and economic contraction; the High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1300 CE), characterized by population growth, urban revival, and institutional consolidation; and the Late Middle Ages (c. 1300–1500 CE), featuring crises like the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War alongside proto-Renaissance developments.^[46] The term "Middle Ages" (Latin: media aetas) originated with 14th-century Italian humanist Francesco Petrarch, who contrasted the cultural "darkness" of this era—due to perceived losses in learning and Roman imperial order—with the glories of antiquity and the promise of his own age's revival.^[47] ^[48] Politically, the period saw the rise of feudalism, a decentralized system of reciprocal obligations where kings granted land (fiefs) to nobles (lords) in exchange for military service, while lords extracted labor and produce from peasant serfs bound to manors.^[45] This structure emerged amid the power vacuum left by Rome's collapse, with Germanic kingdoms like the Franks under Charlemagne (crowned emperor in 800 CE) briefly centralizing authority before fragmentation resumed.^[46] The Catholic Church wielded profound influence, controlling vast lands, education via monasteries, and spiritual authority through doctrines like papal supremacy, often clashing with secular rulers as in the Investiture Controversy (1075–1122 CE), where popes asserted rights over bishop appointments against emperors.^[45] Economically, agrarian manorialism dominated, with self-sufficient estates producing surplus via innovations like the heavy plow and three-field rotation, enabling modest trade revival in the High Middle Ages through fairs and Hanseatic leagues.^[49] Culturally and intellectually, the era featured monastic preservation of texts, scholasticism blending Aristotelian logic with theology (e.g., Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica, c. 1265–1274 CE), and Gothic architecture symbolizing vertical aspiration in cathedrals like Chartres (begun 1194 CE).^[45] Military expeditions, including the Crusades (1095–1291 CE), aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem but spurred East-West exchanges in goods, ideas, and technologies like Arabic numerals. The period's end lacks consensus, with markers including the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453 CE—ending the Byzantine Empire and flooding Europe with Greek scholars—or Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage initiating transatlantic expansion, though broader shifts like printing's invention (c. 1440 CE by Gutenberg) and the Renaissance's humanism signaled gradual transitions rather than abrupt rupture.^[50] Modern historiography rejects Petrarch's "Dark Ages" dismissal, recognizing achievements in law (e.g., Magna Carta, 1215 CE), governance, and science amid demographic recoveries from plagues that killed 30–60% of Europe's population (1347–1351 CE).^[45]

Ancient and Prehistoric Middle Periods

In prehistoric archaeology, the Middle Stone Age (MSA) in Africa, dating from approximately 300,000 to 30,000 years ago, marks a transitional phase where early Homo sapiens populations innovated beyond earlier Acheulean handaxes, producing flake-based tools, hafted points, and evidence of heat treatment for stone. This period coincides with behavioral modernity indicators, such as pigment use and shell beads at sites like Blombos Cave, South Africa, dated to around 75,000 years ago, suggesting symbolic thought and complex social structures.^[51]^[52] Contemporaneous in Eurasia, the Middle Paleolithic (roughly 300,000 to 40,000 years ago) features Neanderthals and other archaic humans employing Levallois prepared-core techniques for efficient tool production, as seen in Mousterian assemblages from sites like La Ferrassie, France, with tools adapted for hunting large game and processing hides. These innovations reflect adaptations to diverse environments, including glacial cycles, driven by population pressures and resource variability rather than abrupt cognitive leaps.^[53] The Middle Neolithic, regionally variable but generally spanning 4500–3500 BCE in parts of Europe and the Near East, involved intensified agriculture, with evidence of domesticated crops like emmer wheat and animals such as sheep, alongside the construction of communal monuments like cursuses and long barrows in Britain. In southern England, sites such as West Amesbury yield pits containing Grooved Ware pottery and human remains, indicating ritual deposition and feasting practices tied to land tenure and seasonal gatherings.^[54] These developments built on earlier Neolithic foundations, with causal links to population growth and territoriality fostering social complexity, though without uniform "revolutions" as sometimes overstated in diffusionist narratives.^[55] In ancient Near Eastern chronology, the Middle Bronze Age (circa 2000–1550 BCE) saw urban revival after Early Bronze collapse, with fortified Canaanite cities like Hazor featuring mudbrick walls up to 10 meters high and palace-temple complexes evidencing hierarchical societies engaged in Levantine-Egyptian trade of tin, copper, and textiles. Hyksos migrations around 1700 BCE introduced chariot technology and composite bows, enhancing military capabilities without implying wholesale cultural replacement.^[56] Similarly, Egypt's Middle Kingdom (2030–1650 BCE) restored centralized rule post-First Intermediate Period chaos, under pharaohs like Mentuhotep II and Amenemhat I, who expanded irrigation via the Fayum basin, boosting grain yields to support a standing army of 20,000–30,000 and monumental works like the Karnak temple precursor. Literary texts such as the Story of Sinuhe reflect administrative efficiency and cultural confidence, grounded in Nile flood predictability rather than divine fiat alone.^[57] These "middle" designations empirically delineate phases of consolidation amid climatic stability, contrasting with flanking periods of fragmentation.

Other Civilizational Middles

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt, spanning approximately 2030 to 1650 BCE, marked a period of reunification and cultural renaissance following the fragmentation of the First Intermediate Period, initiated by Mentuhotep II of the Eleventh Dynasty who consolidated power over Upper and Lower Egypt from Thebes.^[58] This era, encompassing Dynasties 11 through 13, saw advancements in literature, such as the Story of Sinuhe, and pyramid construction at sites like Lisht, alongside expanded trade with Nubia and the Levant, fostering economic stability through irrigation projects and administrative reforms.^[58] The period ended with incursions by Asiatic groups, leading to the Second Intermediate Period, though its artistic and ideological influences persisted into the New Kingdom.^[59] In Mesopotamia, the Middle Assyrian Empire emerged around 1363 BCE under Ashur-uballit I, transitioning Assyria from a regional power to an expansive state that incorporated territories in northern Mesopotamia, the Zagros Mountains, and briefly Babylonia, with peak territorial gains under Tukulti-Ninurta I (r. 1244–1208 BCE) who sacked Babylon in 1225 BCE.^[60] This phase, lasting until circa 1050 BCE, featured a professionalized military, cuneiform legal codes like the Middle Assyrian Laws, and centralized governance from Assur, enabling conquests that secured tribute and resources amid competition with Mitanni and the Hittites.^[61] Decline followed due to Aramean pressures and internal strife, paving the way for the Neo-Assyrian resurgence.^[60] The Middle Babylonian period, dominated by the Kassite dynasty from about 1595 to 1155 BCE, represented a stabilization after the sack of Babylon by the Hittites in 1595 BCE, with Kassite rulers adopting Mesopotamian traditions while maintaining control over southern Iraq through fortified cities and diplomatic marriages. Agricultural innovations and temple restorations, including at Nippur, supported a relatively peaceful era of scribal activity and horse breeding, though external threats from Assyria and Elam eventually eroded Kassite authority. In the Andes, the Middle Horizon (circa 600–1000 CE) is defined by the expansion of the Wari Empire from its highland capital near modern Ayacucho, Peru, influencing a vast region through administrative centers, road networks, and terraced agriculture that integrated diverse ethnic groups via imposed urban planning and chicha beer rituals.^[62] Coinciding with the Tiwanaku culture in the south, this period saw climatic shifts like prolonged droughts around 1000 CE contributing to Wari contraction, yet its legacy in statecraft and pottery styles foreshadowed Inca imperial strategies.^[63] Archaeological evidence from sites like Pikillacta highlights militaristic expansion and craft specialization, distinguishing it from preceding regional polities.^[64]

Socio-Economic Applications

Middle Class Dynamics

The middle class is typically defined as households with incomes ranging from two-thirds to double the national median household income, adjusted for household size. In the United States, Pew Research Center analysis of 2023 data places this threshold at approximately $56,600 to $169,800 annually for a three-person household, reflecting a median income of around $84,900.^[65] ^[66] This definition emphasizes relative position rather than absolute living standards, capturing a group historically associated with economic stability, homeownership, and moderate wealth accumulation.^[66] In advanced economies like the United States, the middle class share has declined from 61% of adults in 1971 to 51% in 2023, driven by income polarization where lower-income households rose from 27% to 30% and upper-income from 12% to 19%.^[66] ^[67] The middle class's share of aggregate U.S. household income fell from 62% in 1970 to 43% in 2022, as upper-income households captured a larger portion through gains in capital income and high-skill sectors.^[66] Absolute middle-class incomes have risen in real terms, with median household income increasing 53% from 1970 to 2022 after inflation adjustment, but growth lagged behind upper-income households by a factor of two.^[68] This shrinkage reflects not widespread absolute poverty but a hollowing out, where middle-decile earners progressed slower than top earners due to skill-biased technological change and globalization offshoring routine jobs.^[69] ^[70] Key pressures on middle-class dynamics include rising costs in housing, education, and healthcare, which have outpaced wage growth; for instance, real housing prices doubled relative to incomes since 1970 in many U.S. metro areas.^[71] Intergenerational mobility remains low, with OECD data indicating U.S. children from bottom-quintile families have only a 7.5% chance of reaching the top quintile, compared to higher rates in Nordic countries, exacerbating polarization through inherited educational and locational disadvantages.^[72] Demographic shifts, such as aging populations and delayed family formation, further strain middle-class formation, as dual-income households increasingly require advanced credentials for stability.^[66] Globally, middle-class dynamics contrast sharply, with expansion in emerging markets offsetting contractions in the West; the world middle class grew from 1 billion in 2000 to over 3.8 billion by 2020, projected to exceed 5 billion by 2030, primarily in Asia.^[73] ^[74] This growth stems from industrialization and urbanization in China and India, where hundreds of millions transitioned from subsistence agriculture to wage labor, though vulnerability persists due to informal employment and weak social safety nets.^[74] In middle-income countries, the "middle-income trap" dynamic—where per capita GDP stalls around $10,000–$12,000—threatens sustained expansion, as seen in stalled progress in Brazil and South Africa since the 2010s.^[75] Overall, causal factors like automation displacing mid-skill jobs and trade liberalization explain much of the variance, with empirical models showing a 10–15% employment shift from middle-wage occupations in OECD nations since 1995.^[72]^[69]

Middle-Income Economies and Traps

Middle-income economies are classified by the World Bank based on gross national income (GNI) per capita, encompassing lower-middle-income countries (GNI per capita of $1,146 to $4,515 in fiscal year 2024) and upper-middle-income countries ($4,516 to $13,845).^[76] As of the end of 2023, 108 countries fell into this category, representing a diverse group including China, Brazil, India, and South Africa, where annual GDP per capita ranged from $1,136 to $13,845.^[77] These economies typically transition from low-income status through labor-intensive manufacturing and resource extraction but face challenges in sustaining rapid growth beyond initial catch-up phases.^[78] The middle-income trap refers to the stagnation experienced by these economies when growth slows sharply after achieving middle-income levels, preventing convergence to high-income status (GNI per capita above approximately $13,845).^[79] Coined by the World Bank in 2007, the phenomenon highlights how, of 101 middle-income economies in 1960, only 13 had attained high-income status by 2008, with limited escapes since.^[75] Empirical analysis shows no long-run absolute convergence across income levels, but transitions from middle to high income require sustained productivity gains, which many fail to achieve due to diminishing returns on initial investments in physical capital and low-skill labor.^[80] For instance, countries like those in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa have hovered in middle-income ranges for decades, with average growth rates dropping below 2% annually post-1980s, insufficient to close gaps with advanced economies.^[81] Key causal factors include institutional weaknesses, such as inadequate rule of law and property rights, which hinder innovation and technology adoption needed to shift from imitation to original R&D.^[82] Empirical studies link traps to failures in structural transformation: reliance on low-value exports, insufficient human capital investment (e.g., tertiary education enrollment below 20% in many cases), and political barriers to upgrading industries, as seen in commodity-dependent economies where Dutch disease erodes manufacturing competitiveness.^[83] ^[84] In contrast, escapes correlate with export-oriented policies fostering firm-level productivity, as in East Asia, where total factor productivity growth averaged 3-4% during transitions.^[85] Examples of trapped economies include Brazil, which reached upper-middle income in the 1970s but saw per capita growth stall at under 1% annually since 1980 due to fiscal instability and low innovation (R&D spending at 1.2% of GDP).^[86] Successful escapes are rare but instructive: South Korea transitioned from lower-middle income in 1960 to high-income by 1997 through aggressive education reforms (tertiary enrollment rising from 5% to 60%) and chaebol-led industrialization, achieving 8% average growth.^[87] Similarly, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan escaped via similar mechanisms emphasizing human capital and institutional reforms, while post-communist states like Estonia and Poland succeeded after 1990s liberalization, with growth exceeding 4% to reach high-income thresholds by 2010s.^[88] Debates persist on the trap's validity, with some analyses finding no statistical discontinuity in growth probabilities at middle-income thresholds, attributing slowdowns to universal convergence dynamics rather than a unique barrier.^[80] Critics argue the concept overemphasizes policy failures while underplaying external shocks or measurement issues in GNI thresholds, yet cross-country regressions confirm that governance quality (e.g., control of corruption) predicts escape probabilities, with high performers 2-3 times more likely to succeed.^[89] ^[90] World Bank reports urge recalibrating growth drivers toward innovation engines, warning that without reforms, demographic pressures like aging in China could entrench stagnation by 2030.^[78]

Linguistic and Grammatical Structures

Middle Voice in Languages

The middle voice constitutes a grammatical category in which the subject of the verb both initiates and experiences the action, or maintains a direct interest in its outcome, distinguishing it from the active voice—where the subject solely acts—and the passive voice—where the subject undergoes the action without agency.^[91]^[92] This voice often encodes semantic nuances such as reflexivity (action directed at the subject), self-benefaction (action for the subject's benefit), anticausativity (spontaneous occurrence affecting the subject), or potentiality (capacity for action without specified agent).^[92]^[93] In languages featuring it morphologically, the middle voice typically employs dedicated inflectional endings or markers, separate from active and passive forms, though its functions can overlap with reflexives or inchoatives in languages lacking such a category.^[92] Proto-Indo-European, the reconstructed ancestor of the Indo-European language family spoken around 4500–2500 BCE, possessed a distinct middle voice inflection, evidenced by cognate forms across daughter languages like Hittite (with -ari endings for mediopassive), Vedic Sanskrit (middle paradigms in Rigveda texts circa 1500 BCE), and Ancient Greek (Homeric epics circa 8th century BCE).^[93]^[94] In these early stages, the middle voice primarily conveyed subject-affectedness or indirect reflexivity, as in Hittite *dāi "he places" (active) versus *dāri "he places [something] for himself." Over time, in branches like Greek and Latin, middle forms increasingly absorbed passive-like functions, such as agentless actions (e.g., Greek luomai "I am loosed"), before periphrastic passives with auxiliaries like ginomai + participle emerged around the Classical period (5th–4th centuries BCE), reducing the middle's passive role.^[95]^[93] This diachronic shift reflects a broader typological pattern where dedicated middle markers stabilize for valency reduction (e.g., intransitivizing transitives) before specializing or eroding in analytic languages.^[94] Ancient Greek exemplifies the middle voice's prototypical system, with morphological markers like primary endings -mai, -sai, -tai in present tenses and secondary -mēn, -sō, -to in aorists, appearing in over 20% of Homeric verb forms.^[96] Functions include direct reflexivity (niptetai "washes himself," Iliad 1.449), reciprocal action (machontai "fight each other"), mediopassive events (anigoito "the door opens," implying subject involvement), and deponent verbs inherently middle (e.g., bainei "goes," with no active counterpart).^[96]^[97] In Koine Greek (circa 300 BCE–300 CE), the middle retained self-interest semantics but further merged with passives, as in New Testament usages where ginomai middles denote "become" with subject focus.^[97] Latin mirrored this with deponent middles like loquor "I speak" (originally self-directed) and -r endings for passives, though true middles waned by the Imperial period (1st century CE onward).^[93] Beyond Indo-European, middle voice systems appear in diverse families, including Bantu languages (e.g., Swahili -ika suffix for reciprocal middles, as in onana "see each other"), Salishan (intransitive markers for subject-affected actions), and Uto-Aztecan (reflexive-benefactive prefixes).^[92] A cross-linguistic survey of 129 languages identifies middle markers in about 40% of cases for oppositional functions (contrasting with actives), often evolving from reflexive pronouns via grammaticalization, as hypothesized for Proto-Afro-Asiatic circa 10,000 BCE.^[94] In analytic languages like English, middle constructions persist syntactically without inflection, e.g., "The window broke" (anticausative) or "This book sells easily" (potential, with subject properties enabling action), tracing to Old English medial verbs but reanalyzed as active by Middle English (circa 1100–1500 CE).^[91] Modern Indo-European descendants, such as Spanish reflexive se (from Latin middle, e.g., lavarse "to wash oneself") or Icelandic mediopassive -st, preserve vestiges, though often generalized to passives.^[93] These patterns underscore the middle voice's role in encoding event structure where subject prominence prioritizes internal causation over external agency.^[92]

Historical Language Phases

In historical linguistics, the designation "middle" refers to transitional phases in the evolution of many languages, positioned between archaic "old" stages and contemporary "modern" forms. These periods typically span several centuries and are marked by profound phonological reductions, morphological simplifications, lexical expansions due to contact with other languages, and shifts toward more analytic grammatical structures. Such phases often coincide with socio-political upheavals, including invasions, migrations, or cultural integrations, which accelerate linguistic divergence from prior attested forms while laying foundations for standardization. Linguists delineate these stages based on textual evidence, such as surviving manuscripts, rather than arbitrary chronological divides, emphasizing reconstructible sound changes and grammatical innovations.^[98] A prominent example is Middle English, which extended from roughly 1100 to 1500, succeeding Old English after the Norman Conquest of 1066 introduced massive French lexical influence—accounting for over 10,000 loanwords in areas like law, governance, and cuisine. During this era, English underwent drastic inflectional loss, with noun cases reducing from four in Old English to primarily a genitive singular by the 14th century, and verb conjugations simplifying amid dialectal leveling across regions like the East Midlands, which emerged as a prestige variety. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400) exemplifies the period's literary florescence, showcasing vowel shifts precursor to the Great Vowel Shift (c. 1400–1700) and a syntax increasingly reliant on word order over endings.^[99]^[100] In Romance linguistics, Middle French denotes the stage from the mid-14th century to around 1611, bridging Old French (c. 9th–13th centuries) and Classical French, amid the Hundred Years' War and Renaissance humanism. Key developments included the regularization of nasal vowels, elimination of the neuter gender remnant, and proliferation of periphrastic constructions like aller + infinitive for futures, reflecting a move from synthetic to analytic tendencies; François I's 1539 Edict of Villers-Cotterêts mandated French over Latin in legal texts, accelerating orthographic reforms. This phase produced works like Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532–1564), highlighting vernacular vitality against Latin dominance.^[101]^[102] Germanic languages feature analogous phases, such as Middle High German (c. 1050–1350), which followed Old High German and preceded Early New High German, driven by the High German consonant shift's completion and feudal fragmentation fostering dialectal courts. Phonologically, it saw diphthongization and umlaut stabilization, while literature burgeoned with epics like the Nibelungenlied (c. 1200), employing a synthetic case system with four genders and dual-number relics in pronouns. Upper German dialects predominated in literary output, influencing modern Standard German's lexicon, though regional variation persisted until 16th-century printing standardization.^[103]^[104] Celtic and other Indo-European branches exhibit similar stratifications, as in Middle Irish (c. 900–1200), post-Old Irish, characterized by lenition expansions and verb-subject-object order emergence amid Viking and Norman incursions, or Middle Welsh (c. 1150–1500), with aspirate mutation refinements and romance borrowings. These "middle" labels facilitate comparative analysis across families, underscoring universal patterns of regularization under contact pressures, though precise boundaries remain debated due to sparse early documentation.

Arts, Media, and Culture

Music and Songs

In music theory, Middle C (C4 in scientific pitch notation) is defined as the note positioned at the center of the grand staff, appearing on a ledger line just below the treble clef and just above the bass clef.^[105] This placement makes it a pivotal reference point for notation, bridging the lower bass register and higher treble register, and it corresponds to approximately 261.63 Hz in standard tuning.^[106] On the piano keyboard, Middle C serves as the dividing line, with notes to its left typically notated in bass clef and played by the left hand, while those to the right use treble clef and the right hand.^[107] In song structure, particularly in verse-chorus forms common to pop and rock music, the middle eight refers to an eight-bar contrasting section that typically appears after the second chorus, providing harmonic and melodic variation to alleviate repetition before returning to the main material.^[108] Originating in 32-bar song forms, it functions similarly to but distinctly from a bridge by emphasizing relief through key changes, new lyrics, or instrumental breaks, as exemplified in compositions by The Beatles where it often introduces fresh thematic elements.^[109] Notable songs incorporating "middle" in their titles include "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel, released in 1972, which gained renewed prominence through its use in the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.^[110] "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World, from their 2001 album Bleed American, achieved chart success as a single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and embodying themes of perseverance.^[110] Similarly, "The Middle" by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey, released in 2018, topped the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, blending EDM and country influences in its production.^[110] These tracks often evoke literal or metaphorical senses of intermediacy, such as relational limbo or transitional states, reflecting the term's semantic versatility in lyrics.

Film, Television, and Literature

In literature, George Eliot's Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life, serialized in eight parts from December 1871 to December 1872, portrays interconnected lives in the fictional English town of Middlemarch during the late 1820s and early 1830s, examining themes of idealism, marriage, and reform amid political and social change.^[111] J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954–1955) are set in Middle-earth, a richly constructed fictional continent inspired by European mythology and linguistics, where hobbits, elves, and men confront the dark lord Sauron in a narrative of heroism and environmental peril.^[112] Film adaptations of Tolkien's Middle-earth include Ralph Bakshi's animated The Lord of the Rings (1978), which covered the first half of the trilogy, and Peter Jackson's live-action trilogies: The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003), grossing over $2.9 billion worldwide and winning 17 Academy Awards including Best Picture for The Return of the King (2003), and The Hobbit (2012–2014).^[113] These productions visualized Middle-earth's landscapes, such as New Zealand's terrains standing in for the Shire and Mordor, emphasizing epic scale and practical effects alongside CGI.^[113] In television, The Middle (2009–2018) is a sitcom depicting the lower-middle-class Heck family in Orson, Indiana, across nine seasons and 215 episodes, highlighting parental struggles with three children's quirks amid financial and relational strains.^[114] Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), spanning seven seasons, follows a prodigy boy navigating chaos in a working-class family of six, using single-camera format and fourth-wall breaks to satirize suburban dysfunction.

Other Cultural References

In Aristotelian ethics, as outlined in the Nicomachean Ethics, the doctrine of the mean describes moral virtues as intermediate states between extremes of excess and deficiency, with the appropriate middle determined by practical wisdom and relative to the individual circumstances.^[115] For instance, courage represents the mean between rashness and cowardice, emphasizing balance as essential to ethical conduct rather than mere moderation.^[116] This concept influenced Western philosophical traditions on temperance and equilibrium, though interpretations vary on whether it prescribes arithmetic averages or context-specific equilibria.^[115] In Buddhist teachings, the Middle Way (Madhyamā Pratipad) denotes the Noble Eightfold Path, which avoids the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification, as realized by Siddhartha Gautama after his ascetic phase around the 5th century BCE.^[117] This principle, central to early sutras like the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, promotes enlightened moderation leading to cessation of suffering, and later evolved in Mahayana schools such as Madhyamaka, which posits reality as devoid of inherent extremes.^[117] Similarly, Confucian thought in the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), attributed to Zisi around the 5th–4th century BCE, advocates centrality (zhong) as harmony between opposites, aligning human action with cosmic order (tian).^[118] These ideas of the middle as balanced centrality appear in other traditions, such as the Chinese cosmological view of the empire as the "Middle Kingdom" (Zhongguo), positioning it symbolically at the world's axis between heaven and earth, a self-conception documented in classical texts like the Shujing from the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE).^[119] This reflects a cultural emphasis on hierarchical centrality rather than geographic isolation, influencing imperial symbolism and diplomacy until the 19th century.^[119]

Scientific and Technical Terms

Biological and Anatomical Middles

In human anatomy, the median plane, also known as the midsagittal plane, is a vertical plane that passes through the midline of the body, dividing it into symmetrical left and right halves.^[120] This plane serves as a reference for describing positional relationships, with structures closer to it termed medial and those farther away termed lateral.^[121] Midline structures, such as the nasal septum and the spinal column, lie directly on this plane and exhibit bilateral symmetry in typical development.^[122] The middle ear, or tympanic cavity, is an air-filled compartment within the petrous portion of the temporal bone, situated between the tympanic membrane laterally and the inner ear medially.^[123] It contains the three auditory ossicles—the malleus, incus, and stapes—which transmit and amplify vibrations from sound waves to the cochlea, with the ossicles forming a chain that mechanically couples the tympanic membrane to the oval window.^[124] The middle ear connects to the nasopharynx via the Eustachian tube, which equalizes pressure and drains secretions, preventing barotrauma and facilitating pathogen clearance.^[125] In embryology, the mesoderm constitutes the middle primary germ layer formed during gastrulation, positioned between the ectoderm and endoderm in the trilaminar embryo.^[126] Derived from epiblast cells migrating through the primitive streak, it differentiates into diverse tissues including skeletal muscle, bone, cartilage, dermis, cardiovascular structures, and the urogenital system, with subdivisions such as paraxial, intermediate, and lateral plate mesoderm specifying regional fates.^[127] Disruptions in mesoderm formation, as observed in congenital models, can lead to defects like spina bifida or limb malformations due to failed midline signaling.^[128] In plant biology, the middle lamella is a pectin-rich intercellular layer deposited between adjacent cell walls during cytokinesis, functioning primarily to cement cells together and maintain tissue integrity.^[129] Composed mainly of calcium and magnesium pectates, it facilitates cell adhesion while allowing controlled separation during processes like fruit ripening or abscission, where pectin degradation by enzymes such as polygalacturonase weakens bonds.^[130] In mature tissues, the middle lamella integrates with primary cell walls, contributing to mechanical strength and ion homeostasis in the apoplast.^[131]

Mathematical and Physical Concepts

In geometry, the midpoint of a line segment is defined as the point that divides the segment into two equal parts, equidistant from both endpoints. For endpoints with coordinates (x_1, y_1) and (x_2, y_2), the midpoint coordinates are given by the formula \left( \frac{x_1 + x_2}{2}, \frac{y_1 + y_2}{2} \right), which represents the arithmetic mean of the respective coordinates.^[132]^[11] This concept extends to higher dimensions and is fundamental in coordinate geometry for tasks such as finding perpendicular bisectors or centroids of simple figures.^[10] In statistics, the median is the central value in a dataset arranged in ascending order, effectively splitting the data into equal halves where 50% of values lie below and 50% above. For a dataset with an odd number of observations, the median is the middle entry; for an even number, it is the average of the two central entries.^[133]^[134] Unlike the mean, the median is robust to outliers, making it preferable for skewed distributions, as demonstrated in income data analysis where extreme values distort averages but not the middle position.^[133] In numerical analysis, the midpoint rule approximates definite integrals by evaluating the function at the midpoint of each subinterval and multiplying by the subinterval width, yielding \int_a^b f(x) \, dx \approx \sum_{i=1}^n f\left( \frac{x_{i-1} + x_i}{2} \right) (x_i - x_{i-1}). This method provides a balance between simplicity and accuracy compared to endpoint-based rules like the trapezoidal rule, with error terms scaling as O(h^2) for step size h.^[135] (Note: While educational sites like Math is Fun illustrate basics, peer-reviewed texts confirm the rule's derivation from Taylor expansions around midpoints.) In physics, the concept of a middle position appears in oscillatory systems, such as simple harmonic motion (SHM), where the equilibrium point—often termed the middle or mean position—is where net force is zero and potential energy is minimized, with maximum kinetic energy and velocity occurring there. For a mass-spring system, displacement x(t) = A \cos(\omega t + \phi) oscillates around this middle point x=0, derived from Newton's second law yielding \frac{d^2x}{dt^2} + \omega^2 x = 0.^[136] (Khan Academy's physics modules align with standard derivations in texts like Halliday & Resnick, emphasizing causal force balance.) The center of mass, functioning as a weighted middle for rigid bodies, determines overall motion under external forces, located at \bar{r} = \frac{\sum m_i r_i}{\sum m_i} for point masses.^[136] This point translates as if all mass concentrated there, verifiable in experiments like balancing irregular objects on a pivot.

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### Summary of "Middle" Definitions (Temporal and Sequential Meanings)
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a point, position, or part that is not on one side or the other but is equally far from things on either side; the central point, position, or part.Missing: encyclopedia | Show results with:encyclopedia
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middle, adj. & n. meanings, etymology and more
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the part of something that is at an equal distance from all its edges or sides; a point or a period of time between the beginning and the end of something.
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Middle Inlet. MARINETTE. T. Middle Ridge. LACROSSE. Washington. U. Middle River. DOUGLAS. Amnicon. U. Middleton. DANE. T. Middleton. DANE. C. Midway. LACROSSE.
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Division 3: East North Central. Region 2: Midwest*. New Jersey (34). New York (36). Pennsylvania (42). Division 2: Middle Atlantic. Connecticut (09). Maine (23).
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The present paper develops an innovative methodology to analyze the distributional changes in the US in the last decades using ASEC-CPS data.
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Is the Middle Class Worse Off Than It Used to Be?
Getlen (2018), for example, states that the middle class is being “wiped out” by increases in the price of housing, education, child care, and healthcare, ...
[72]
[PDF] Selected policy challenges for the American middle class - OECD
Mar 6, 2023 · Low intergenerational mobility and rising income inequality have been accompanied by a rise in the polarisation of the United States income ...
[73]
Visualizing the World's Growing Middle Class (2020–2030)
Feb 3, 2022 · By 2030, another 700 million people are expected to join the global middle class, making it more than half of the world's total population.
[74]
'The Rise of the Global Middle Class': An interview with Homi Kharas
Jan 22, 2024 · Homi Kharas analyzes the global middle class's role in shaping a sustainable future amid 2024's challenges.
[75]
[PDF] The Middle Income Trap - World Bank Documents & Reports
This booklet contains the overview, as well as a list of contents and other front matter, from World. Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap, ...
[76]
World Bank country classifications by income level for 2024-2025
Jul 1, 2024 · The World Bank Group assigns the world's economies [1] to four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high. The classifications are updated each ...
[77]
“Middle-Income Trap” Hinders Progress in 108 Developing Countries
Aug 1, 2024 · At the end of 2023, 108 countries were classified as middle-income, each with annual GDP per capita in the range of $1,136 to $13,845. These ...
[78]
World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap
World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap identifies pathways for emerging market economies to avoid what has become known and feared as the ...English · View Main Messages · Core Team · Events
[79]
Trapped! China and the 'middle-income trap' - CEPR
Jul 19, 2024 · A middle-income trap describes countries that suffer from a sharp and sustained fall in economic growth after reaching 'middle-income level'.<|separator|>
[80]
[PDF] At the Threshold: The Increasing Relevance of the Middle-Income Trap
There is no long-run tendency for absolute convergence, but there is little evidence that transitions from a middle-income category are uniquely difficult. When ...
[81]
[PDF] Caught in the Middle? The Economics of Middle-Income Traps* - Ferdi
According to the World Bank (2012) for instance, of 101 middle-income economies in 1960, only 13 had become high income by 2008: Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Hong.
[82]
[PDF] The Middle-Income Trap - World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
In general, middle-income countries need to recalibrate the mix of the three drivers of economic growth—investment, infusion, and innovation—as they move ...
[83]
Middle income traps, long-run growth, and structural change
Many developing countries are facing the “middle-income trap”. The unreasonable economic structure, unbalanced development and unsustainable growth mode are all ...
[84]
[PDF] Tracking the Middle-income Trap: What Is It, Who Is in It, and Why?
This paper provides a working definition of what the middle-income trap is. We start by defining four income groups of GDP per capita in 1990 PPP dollars: ...
[85]
[PDF] Re-examining the Middle-Income Trap Hypothesis (MITH)
Using the transition matrix technique too, Bulman et al. (2014) documented the evidence against the existence of a middle-income trap. After examining the.
[86]
The 'middle-income trap' is holding back over 100 countries
Sep 4, 2024 · The “middle-income trap” describes a situation where countries struggle to attain high-income status. Currently, there are 108 countries stuck ...
[87]
Has Escaping the Middle-Income Trap Become Easier? by Keun Lee
Dec 27, 2024 · Among these were Japan, the four “Asian tigers” – Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan – as well as peripheral European economies such ...
[88]
Which countries have escaped the middle-income trap?
Mar 30, 2023 · These include the Czech and Slovak republics, as well as several former members of the Soviet Union: Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia and ...
[89]
[PDF] The Middle-Income Trap: Myth or Reality? - World Bank Document
The middle-income trap may be a myth, but it provides impetus for reassessment. Some evidence supports it, while others question its existence.
[90]
Middle-Income Traps : A Conceptual and Empirical Survey
This paper discusses in more detail definitional issues on the so-called middle-income trap. The paper presents evidence in terms of both absolute and relative ...
[91]
What is the Middle Voice? | OUPblog
Jun 2, 2019 · The middle voice also includes sentences with a non-literal reflexive pronoun in the place of the adverb. An example would be “Her novels sell ...
[92]
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/lingty-2020-0131/html?lang=en
[93]
The rise of middle voice systems | John Benjamins
Jan 19, 2023 · Middle markers are characterized by a distribution halfway between grammar and the lexicon: with some verbs, middle marking encodes valency change.
[94]
(PDF) The rise of middle voice systems: A study in diachronic typology
Jan 23, 2023 · In this paper, I challenge these assumptions based on the analysis of a sample of 129 middle marking languages.
[95]
(PDF) The passive voice in ancient Indo-European languages
Aug 6, 2025 · In some language branches, the middle voice extended to the passive function to varying extents. In addition, dedicated derivational formations ...
[96]
Aorist Middle - Hellenistic Greek
The middle voice is used mainly to imply that the subject benefits or suffers directly from the action expressed by the verb.
[97]
The Middle as a Basic Voice System - Koine-Greek
Oct 15, 2010 · The middle voice in Greek has no exact parallel in the English language. Scholars disagree about both its essential significance and its various ...
[98]
[PDF] Chapter 8 Historical Linguistics | Laura Grestenberger
• examines changes between two language stages, for example, the changes from Old English to. Middle English and from Middle English to Modern English.
[99]
Reference: Chaucer's Middle English
The history of the English language is traditionally divided into the following periods: Old English (650-1100), Middle English (1100-1500), Early Modern ...
[100]
Middle English Basic Pronunciation and Grammar
Middle English Pronunciation. Middle English is the form of English used in England from roughly the time of the Norman conquest (1066) until about 1500.
[101]
Middle French: When? What? Why? - ScienceDirect
The so-called 'Middle French' period has been variously dated on the basis of a number of internal and external phenomena.Missing: phase | Show results with:phase
[102]
A Brief History of the French Language
Middle French and the Path to Standardisation (14th–16th Centuries). The transition to Middle French coincided with pivotal historical shifts, including the ...Missing: phase | Show results with:phase
[103]
[PDF] An Introduction to Middle High German
The term 'Middle High German' denotes a group of dialects within the Germanic language fam- ily. The 'Middle' part of its name refers to a period in the history ...
[104]
GE8: History of the German Language
(Old Saxon 9th c.) 3. Middle High German. In the period 1050-1350 the German language witnessed a vast expansion, geographically and functionally. Colonization ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[105]
Why is Middle C Called “Middle C”? - Music and Theory
Jan 25, 2022 · Middle C is located exactly in middle of the Grand Staff. It is one ledger line below the Treble Staff and one ledger line above the Bass Staff, exactly in ...
[106]
How to find middle c on the piano easily - Skoove
Mar 31, 2025 · Middle C is called middle C because it is in the middle of the grand staff, the combination of treble and bass clef that piano music is most ...
[107]
3 'Absolutely' Important Facts To Know About Middle C
Yes, on the piano, Middle C is the separation point. All the notes to the right of Middle C are usually written in the Treble Clef. They are usually played ...<|separator|>
[108]
Song Building Blocks - Songstuff
A Middle-Eight is a specialist type of bridge section. In music theory, middle eight refers to the B section of a 32-Bar Song Form song, which is 8 Bars in ...
[109]
10 Middle-Eights by The Fab Four - CultureSonar
Jul 21, 2022 · The term “middle eight” refers to the part of a song that deviates from the standard verse-to-chorus sections. Sometimes called the “bridge,” ...
[110]
The Best Songs With Middle in the Title - Ranker
This ranked poll includes songs like "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Jeff Healey, and "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World.Missing: notable | Show results with:notable
[111]
Middlemarch | Summary, Characters, Analysis, & Facts - Britannica
Oct 10, 2025 · Middlemarch, novel by George Eliot, first published in eight parts in 1871–72. It is considered to be Eliot's masterpiece.
[112]
The history of Middle-earth
Discover the rich history of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, from Tolkien's novels to films, stage, and gaming, culminating in Embracer Group's ...
[113]
https://www.middleearth.com/films
[114]
The Middle (TV Series 2009–2018) - IMDb
Rating 7.7/10 (58,194) The Middle: Created by Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline. With Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher. The daily mishaps of a married woman ...Full cast & crew · Episode list · The Middle · Parents guide
[115]
A Plausible Doctrine of the Mean - Project MUSE
Jan 2, 2020 · Aristotle, then, presents us with two means that are relevant to virtue: the mean-state that is virtue, and the mean in passion and action at ...
[116]
[PDF] Aristotle's Account of the Virtue of Courage in Nicomachean Ethics III ...
Dec 28, 1996 · Aristotle's much celebrated and much criticized doctrine of the mean is the core. (though not the whole) of Aristotle's architectonic. The ...
[117]
The Middle Way - Soka Gakkai (global)
Throughout the 2,500-year history of Buddhism, the concept of the Middle Way has seen multiple interpretations, but, simply, it describes the way or path ...Missing: culture | Show results with:culture
[118]
European Enlightemnent & Middle Kingdom - Schiller Institute
This Taoist concept of the Tao corresponds more to Quesnay's conception of “Natural Law,” than does the Confucian concept of the Middle Path (which is also ...<|separator|>
[119]
Do the Chinese characters for China signify its status as the 'middle ...
Oct 9, 2011 · The notion of China as the “Middle Kingdom” comes from the fact that Chinese universality is inseparable from a certain idea of civilization, ...
[120]
Anatomical Terminology - SEER Training Modules
Median plane - Sagittal plane through the midline of the body; divides the body or any of its parts into right and left halves.
[121]
Anatomical Terms of Location - Anterior - Posterior - TeachMeAnatomy
Sep 7, 2024 · Imagine a line in the sagittal plane, splitting the right and left halves evenly. This is the midline. Medial means towards the midline, lateral ...
[122]
Anatomical terminology: Planes, directions & regions - Kenhub
Mid-sagittal/median - vertical plane passing through the centre of the body (midline) that cuts it longitudinally into right and left halves. Sagittal - ...Dorsal body cavity · Directional terms and body... · Applied and clinical anatomy
[123]
Middle ear: Anatomy, relating structures and supply | Kenhub
The middle ear is an air-filled pressurized space within the petrous portion of the temporal bone, extending from the tympanic membrane (eardrum) to the ...
[124]
Middle ear - Mayo Clinic
The middle ear includes three small bones. They are the hammer, called the malleus; the anvil, known as the incus; and the stirrup, known as the stapes.
[125]
Ear: Anatomy, Facts & Function - Cleveland Clinic
the malleus, incus and stapes. ( ...
[126]
Mesoderm - UNSW Embryology
Jul 16, 2019 · The mesoderm forms the middle layer of the early trilaminar embryo germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm) formed by gastrulation.
[127]
Mesoderm: Video, Causes, & Meaning - Osmosis
The mesoderm is one of the three primary germ layers in the embryo. It forms midline structures such as the notochord, somites, and neural tube.
[128]
Mesoderm - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Mesoderm is defined as one of the three primary germ cell layers in the early embryo, situated between the ectoderm and endoderm.
[129]
The middle lamella-more than a glue - PubMed
Feb 16, 2017 · In plant tissues, cells are glued to each other by a pectic polysaccharide rich material known as middle lamella (ML).
[130]
Middle Lamella - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
The middle lamella is defined as the layer that connects plant cells with each other, primarily composed of pectin. It plays a role in intercellular ...
[131]
Plant Cell Structure - Cell Wall - Molecular Expressions Cell Biology
Rich in pectins, the middle lamella is shared by neighboring cells and cements them firmly together. Positioned in such a manner, cells are able to communicate ...
[132]
What is the Midpoint Formula & how does it work? | Purplemath
The Midpoint Formula tells you the point exactly midway between two other points by, effectively, finding the average of their x- and y-coordinates.
[133]
Median: What It Is and How to Calculate It, With Examples
Sep 18, 2025 · The median is the middle number in a group of numbers when they are put in order from smallest to biggest.What Is the Median? · How It Works · Median vs. Mean · Example
[134]
Mean, median, and mode review (article) | Khan Academy
Median: The middle number; found by ordering all data points and picking out the one in the middle (or if there are two middle numbers, taking the mean of those ...
[135]
Midpoint Definition (Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary) - Math is Fun
Illustrated definition of Midpoint: The middle of. The point halfway along. Try moving the end points:
[136]
Physics archive | Science | Khan Academy
Physics the study of matter, motion, energy, and force ... For our most up-to-date, mastery-enabled courses, check out Middle School Physics, High School Physics, ...AP®︎ Physics 2 · Forces and Newton's Laws · High school physics · Sound: Waves