History of English: Course Structure Old English 1. Language Change & Development Nigel Musk 2. Old English Teachers’ Programme 6161--9090 hp

Department of Culture & Communication 3. Middle English Linköping University

4. Early Modern English

Germanic Invaders & Dialects of Old English Genealogy of English & Scots

Macafee West Germanic

Old English Frisian Crystal 2003:6 & 28

Anglian West Saxon

Old Mercian Northumbrian Mercian Anglo- Danish West Saxon Mercian Kentish Scots Stan dar d West Saxon English Kentish Crystal 2003:6 & 28 Old English Sources Written Old English

Old English corpus = approx 3.5 million words (approx 30 Two writing systems: medium-sized novels)  Runic inscriptions th  Runic inscriptions, e.g. the Ruthwell Cross (7 century)  Roman alphabet adapted from Latin  Glossaries and translations (from Latin), e.g. Lindisfarne Gospels  Laws, e.g. Æðelbirht’s Law Code (c. AD 602)  Historical chronicles, e.g. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle  Religious works, e.g. Cædmon’s Hymn  Poetry, e.g. Beowulf (manuscript from 11th century)  Riddles

Runes The Ruthwell Cross

Less than 30 clear runic inscriptions in Old English  The Ruthwell Cross  The Franks Casket

Gramley 2012: 33 & 35 Adapting the Roman Alphabet Old English Pronunciation 1

Generally written in the insular script Evidence for how OE was pronounced  e, f, r,& s look different  Alphabetical logic – comparing with Roman alphabet’s adaptation Additional letters: from Latin & variations in spellings due to regional variation  æ ‘h’‘ash’  Comparative reconstruction – working backwards from later stages of  ð ‘that/eth’ (voiced or unvoiced) English (deduction)  ʓ ‘h’()‘yogh’ (=g)  Sound changes – applying what we know about sound changes in Digraphs: general  cg (=dge) sc (=sh)  Poetic evidence – through rhymes and alliterations, also to indicate Letters borrowed from the runic alphabet: stress patterns  þ ‘thorn’ (()gvoiced or unvoiced) also interchangeable with ð ‘eth’ BUT scribes could be inconsistent & make mistakes  ƿ ‘wyn’ (=w) e.g. variation in single and double consonants (s/ss, d/dd, etc.)

Old English Pronunciation 2 Old English Pronunciation 3

Crystal 2003: 18 Crystal 2003: 18 Old English Pronunciation 4 Bibliography

Crystal, David (2005) 2nd edn. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Gramley, Stephan (2012) The History of English: An Introduction. Abbingdon, Oxon: Routledge McDowall, David (1989) An Illustrated History of Britain. Harlow, Essex: Longman Svartvik, Jan & Leech, Geoffrey (2006) English. One Tongue, Many Voices. Basingstoke, Hants: Palgrave Macmillan Shamon, Simon (2000) A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? 3000BC-AD1603. London: BBC

Crystal 2003: 18