old englishPart I

Historical Background

Historical Development of English:

Old English ~500 - ~1100

Middle English ~1100 - ~1500

Modern English ~ 1500 - Present

Remains of Old English

Of the 1000 most commonly used modern English words, 83% are of Old English origin

About 30% of the remaining modern English vocabulary are of Old English origin

Remains of Old English

Nouns surviving into Modern English with little or no change:

god, mann, heofon, eorðe, weorold, līf, lufu, word, weorc, dæg, hand, cynn, riht, þanc, engel

Remains of Old English

Nouns with greater change in form or meaning include:

cyning "king", mōd "courage", folc "people", mynd "memory", dōm "judgement", fēond "enemy", gāst "spirit", sōþ "truth", burg "walled town"

Remains of Old English

Nouns that are (mostly) dead & gone:

dryhten "lord", hyge "mind, thought", rīce "dominion", þēod "people", wuldor "glory", æðeling "nobleman", scop "poet, singer", līc "body, corpse", feorh "life", wer "man"

Remains of Old English

Verbs surviving into Modern English with little or no change:

sittan, sēcan, healdan, beran, giefan, cuman, sēon, bēon, wæs, dōn, dyde

REmains of Old English

Verbs with greater change in form or meaning include:

wieldan "control", habban / hæfde "have / had", mæg / meahte "may / might", willan / wolde "will / would", sculan / sceolde "shall / should", mōtan "be able to", āgan "own", secgan "say", cweðan "say", scieppan "create"

Remains of Old English

Verbs that are (mostly) dead & gone:

hātan "be called", weorðan "become", beorgan "protect", witan "know", munan "remember"

Remains of Old English

Adjectives:

gōd, wīd, fæst, hālig, rīce, ān / nān, micel, māra / mæst

swelc "such", lēof "beloved"

ēce "eternal", swīð "strong", æðele "noble", eft "later"

Remains of Old English

Adverbs:

tō, eall, swā, þǣr, þanne, nū, ǣr, wīde

ēac "also", swelce "likewise", gelīc "like"

ne "not, neither", þā "then, when", swīðe "very, extrememly"

Remains of Old English

Prepositions:

in, on, tō, for, ofer, under, æfter, æt, þurh

wið "against, opposite"

mid "with"

Historical Background

Original inhabitants of Britain were Celts

Gmc settlers in East Anglia by late 4th century

Large Gmc immigration mid 5th century

Celtic "Proud Tyrant" (whom Bede calls Vortigern) invites Gmc. people to help fight Picts & Scots

Bad move on Vortigern's part ....

Historical Background

Germanic warriors decide England is a nice place, turn against their former employers, and establish themselves as the new rulers

Invaders definitely Angles & Saxons, also probably Jutes (Frisians) and Ripuarian Franks

Early Kingdoms

Kingdom of Kent, Isle of Wight, coastal zones Jutish

Essex, Sussex & Wessex Saxon

East Anglia, Middle Anglia, Mercia & Northumbria Angles

The Danelaw

Late 700's - first Viking attacks on England

865 - Danes come to England to stay

Northumbria & eastern Mercia become the Danelaw

Old English and Old Norse coexisted in these regions - significant Norse influence found in English

Spelling & Pronunciation

p, t, k (often written 'c') b, d, r, l, m, n like modern English

c not only [k], but also [tʃ] before or after the original (non-umlaut) vowels 'i' or 'e', i.e. r¶ce 'kingdom' = [tʃ], but cyning 'king' = [k]

g has three realizations:

like modern [g] when it follows 'n' or is doubled - cyning, frogga

like modern [j] - ofslægen 'slain'

back fricative [ɣ] - gatu 'gates'

'cg' = [ʤ] ge†icgean 'take', ecg 'edge'

Spelling & Pronunciation

'sc' = [ʃ], scip 'ship'

f, s, † - between voiced sounds (usually vowels) > [v], [z], [∂] -- feallan 'fall', †iccnesse 'thickness', cwæ∂ 'said' ([f], [s], [†]), BUT hl∞ford 'lord', wesan 'be', br•†ur 'brother' ([v], [z], [∂]

h = [h] word initially and before vowels, [x] before consonants and word finally -- h§r 'here' [h], BUT feohtan 'fight' [x]

x = [xs]

w = [w] (often written as 'u')

Spelling & Pronunciation

Five long & short vowels: [a], [i], [u], [e], [o]

Long and short [æ]

y & ¥ = long/short [ü]

Diphthongs generally pronounced as they look (io, eo, ie), long/short 'ea' perhaps more like [ΩΩa] or [æa] ? These are at best educated guesses.

OE Grammar: Personal pronouns

1st Person Sg. Dual Pl.

Nom ic wit w§

Gen m¶n uncer ªser, ªre

Dat m§ unc ªs

Acc mec, m§ uncit, unc ªsic, ªs

2nd Person Sg. Dual Pl.

Nom ∂ª git g§

Gen ∂¶n incer §ower

Dat ∂§ inc §ow

Acc ∂ec, ∂§ incit, inc §owic, §ow

3rd Person Masc.. Neut. Fem. Plural

Nom h§ hit h§o, h¶e h§o, h¶e

Gen his his hire hira

Dat him him hire him, heom

Acc hine hit h§o, h¶e h§o, h¶e

OE Grammar: Interrogative Pronouns

Masc. Neut.

SG N hw∞ who hwæt what

SG G hwæs hwæs

SG Dhwºm, hw∞m

hwºm, hw∞m

SG A hwone hwºt

SG Ihw¶, hwon

hw¶, hwon

No distinct feminine forms, but shows an instrumental form

From the instrumental comes the adverb hª "how".

Two other interrogatives, hwæ∂er "which (of two)" and hwilc/hwelc "which" are declined like strong adjectives.

OE Anomalous Verbs

'to be' Present Preterite

SG 1 eom, b§o wæs

SG 2 eart, bist wºre

SG 3 is, bi∂ wæs

PL 1-3 sind, sint, sindon wºron

SUBJUNCTIVE

SG 1-3 sie, s¶, s§o, b§o wºre

PL 1-3 s¶en, s¶n, b§on wºren

IMPERATIVE

SG 2 b§o, wes

PL 2 b§o∂, wesa∂

PARTICIPLE

b§onde, wesende

Forms of 'b§on' are generally limited to the future, those of 'wesan' to the present.

'to will, wish' Present Preterite

SG 1 wille, wile wolde

SG 2 wilt woldest

SG 3 wille, wile wolde

PL 1-3 willa∂ woldon

SUBJUNCTIVE

SG 1-3 wille, wile wolde

PL 1-3 willen wolden

IMPERATIVE

PL 2 nylla∂, nella∂ (neg. only)

PARTICIPLE

willende

wesan, b§on willan

OE Anomalous Verbs

'to do' Present Preterite

SG 1 d• dyde

SG 2 d§st dydest

SG 3 d§∂ dyde

PL 1-3 d•∂ dydon

SUBJUNCTIVE

SG 1-3 d• dyde

PL 1-3 d•n dyden

IMPERATIVE

SG 2 d•

PL 2 d•∂

PARTICIPLE

d•nde d•n

'to go' Present Preterite

SG 1 g∞ §ode

SG 2 gºst §odest

SG 3 gº∂ §ode

PL 1-3 g∞∂ §odon

SUBJUNCTIVE

SG 1-3 g∞ §ode

PL 1-3 g∞n §oden

IMPERATIVE

SG 2 g∞

PL 2 g∞∂

PARTICIPLE

g∞nde g∞n

d•n, t• d•nne g∞n, t• g∞nne

OE Anomalous Verbs: Negation

Negative forms are produced by contraction when the negative particle ne, prefixed to the form, becomes combined with it. The n-becomes the initial consonant of the contracted form (displacing initial w if there was one) and the stressed vowel is preserved.

i.e. ne + eom > neom; ne + wæs > næs, ne + willan > nyllan, ne + wolde > nolde, etc.

OE Grammar: Next Time

Demonstrative pronouns

Adjectives: strong & weak declensions

Nouns: a-stems, o-stems, i-stems, n-stems

Weak verbs: classes i-iii

Strong verbs: classes I-VII

OE Practice

Fif menn s•hton uncit. Hwæ∂er wæs †¶n br•∂or? Hwæt sægde h§?

W§ nºron on Engla londe. Ic wille †æt g§ s¶en h§r. Wilt ∂ª m§ helpan?

D•∂ †æt weorc. H¶e woldon h§r cuman. Gief hit m§.

Hwæs is ∂æt cild? ˇºr wæs hire b•c. Hw¶ singe∂ ∂es monn?

Æ∂elred is ∂¶n nama. W§ sungon monige songas. Wes ∂ª beald!

Hwºr wºre ∂ª? H¶e ne sindon englas. B§o∂ g§ stille.