Theme 3.

The Old English

Period: 450-1100 A.D.
Historical Bacgro!nd.
"ing!istic #it!ation. $ritten
%ecords.
Aims:

&e a&le to de'ine the &eginnings

o' English thro!gh its origins and
histor()

&e 'amiliar *ith Old English

dialects and $ritten %ecords: r!nic
inscri+tions, man!scri+ts, *ors o'
+rose and +oetr(.

The -eltic settlers o' Britain: The

Pre-English Period.

The %oman -on.!est o' Britain.

The Anglo-#a/on 0n1asion.

Earl( %!nic 0nscri+tions.

The Old English 2an!scri+ts.

Points 'or disc!ssion:
KEY WORDS

-elts,

%oman con.!est,

3ermanic tri&es,

Old English,

Anglo-#a/on
English,

4enera&le Bede,

5!li!s -aesar,

the %!th*ell -ross,

the 6rans -aset,

7ing Al'red 89:1-

99;<,

Beo*!l',

the Anglo-#a/on
-hronicle,

Em+eror -la!di!s
Obligatory:

David Crystal. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the

English Language. Cambridge, 199. ! "". #$1%

Elly van &elderen. ' (istory of the English Language. $

'msterdam)"hiladelphia, *++,. $ "". 1$11

-alery -. .y/hailen/o. "aradigmatics in the Evolution

of English. $ Chernivtsi, 1999. $ "". 10$1,

T.'. 1astorgueva. ' (istory of English. $ .osco2,

1930. $ "". 0%$#1
Additional:

456789 :. ;. <=>?58@ 69AB8C=7?A? @DE76. $

F., 193%.

<G69?G6 <.H., I6J?@9 K.H, LMBMMG6 N.F.

<=>?58@ 69AB8C=7?A? @DE76. $ OHP., *++1.
%ecommended "iterat!re
1. The -eltic settlers o' Britain:
The Pre-English Period.
The Celtic settles of Britain:
The Pre-English period
The British Isles
(inhabited)
for 50000 years.
The Celtic tribes
(Britons, Picts, Scots)
The British Isles
3000 years ago
Pre-Historic
Britain
The -eltic lang!ages
80ndo-E!ro+ean 'amil(<
3aelic Branch Britonnic Branch
0rish 8Erse<
80reland<
Scoth-Gaelic
(Scotland, the
Isle of Man
(The Manx
language)
7(mric
8$elsh<
8modern
$ales<
Breton
8Armorican<
8modern
6rance:
Bretagne
or Brittan(<
-ornish
8-orn*all<
8!ntil
the 19
th
c.<
-eltic in'l!enced English little
ri1er names:

Thames

Avon

Don

Exe

s!

"#e
other incl!de:

c$ag, cum%
&dee' valle#&

ca$$ &$oc!&

$ice &$ule&

st($ &histo$#&
+lace-names
to*n names:

Dove$ &)ate$&

Eccles &chu$ch&

*$a# &hill&

+ondon (a t$i%al
name)

,ent (meaning
un!no)n)
2. The Roman Conquest
55/54 B.C.
J. Ceasar failed to subjugate
Britain
43 A.D. Emperor
Claudius made Britain a
province of the Roman
Empire (nearly 400 years)
In 410 A.D. the Roman were withdrawn to Rome by
Constantine ( to defend the Empire from the attacks
of barbarian tribes, e.g. Teutons).
"ing!istic conse.!ences o'
the %oman con.!est
names of plants,
animals, food and
drink:
pise QpeaQ, 2in Q2ineQ,
plante QplantQ.
clothing items:
belt QbeltQ, cemes
QshirtQ, sutere
Qshoema/erQ.
military and legal
institutions:
wic 'camp', scrifan
'decree'.
buildings and settlements:
tigle 'tile', weall 'wall', ceaster
'sity', str(t 'road'.
religion:
m(sse Mass', munuc 'monk',
mynster 'minster'.
%oman
Britain
3. Anglo-
#a/on
0n1asions
Anglo-
#a/on
England
England
=50-:50

The name
>4iing> comes
'rom the
lang!age
*hich is called
>Old ?orse>. 0t
means >a
+irate raid>.
#candina1ian
84iing<
in1asion
$ho *ere the 4iings@
The -i!ing 'eo'le came f$om th$ee
count$ies of Scandinavia:
Denma$!, .o$)a# and S)eden/
The# )e$e also !no)n as the .o$se
'eo'le/ The# )e$e mostl# fa$me$s,
%ut some )o$!ed as c$aftsmen o$
t$ade$s/
The -i!ings fought
%attles )ith s)o$ds,
s'ea$s, axes, %o)s
and a$$o)s/ The#
'$otected
themselves )ith
$ound )ooden
shields/
In 012 a &G$eat A$m#& of Danish
-i!ings invaded England/ The$e
)e$e fie$ce %attles fo$ seve$al #ea$s/
In the end the -i!ings con3ue$ed all
of no$the$n, cent$al and easte$n
England, and sei4ed much of the
land fo$ thei$ o)n fa$ms/ This a$ea
)as called >The Danela*>.
The -i!ings and -hristianit(
England, Scotland and "ales had
%een 5h$istian count$ies fo$ a long
time/ As the #ea$s )ent %#, most
-i!ings living in *$itain also
%ecame 5h$istians/ 6o)eve$, some
continued to follo) thei$ old
$eligion at the same time/
"hen the -i!ings
discove$ed Ame$ica
the# called it
&-inland& ("ine-
land) %ecause the#
found g$a'es
g$o)ing the$e/
Discove$ing ne) lands
The -i!ings )e$e %$ave sailo$s and
ex'lo$e$s/ The# thought nothing of
ta!ing thei$ families on long, dange$ous
7ou$ne#s ac$oss the sea/ The#
discove$ed and settled in seve$al
$emote count$ies that la# to the )est of
*$itain in the no$th Atlantic 8cean: the
9ae$oe Islands, Iceland and G$eenland/

The 6rans -aset (o$ the Au4on :unic 5as!et) is

a little )hale%one chest, ca$ved )ith na$$ative
scenes in flat t)o-dimensional lo)-$elief and
insc$i%ed )ith $unes, datea%le f$om its 'agan
elements to the mid-seventh centu$# (that is, du$ing
the height of the 6e'ta$ch# and the 'e$iod of
5h$istiani4ation of England)/
4. Earl( %!nic 0nscri+tions.
The %!th*ell -ross is an im'o$tant Anglo Saxon c$oss, also !no)n as a
'$eaching c$oss, dating %ac! to the eighth centu$#/ This c$oss is
$ema$!a%le fo$ its $unic insc$i'tion, )hich contains exce$'ts f$om The
D$eam of the :ood, an 8ld English 'oem/ It is ;0 feet (2/2 met$es) high/
The c$oss )as smashed in ;11<, %ut it )as $esto$ed in ;0;0 %# 6en$#
Duncan/ It no) $ests in :uth)ell chu$ch, Dumf$iesshi$e, Scotland/
Among the earliest insertions
in Latin texts are pieces of
OE poetry. Bede's
HISTORIA
ECCLESIASTICA GENTIS
ANGLORUM (written in
Latin in the 8th c.) contains
an English fragment of five
lines known as "Bede's Death
Song" and a religious poem
of nine lines, "Caedmon's
Hymn".
5. The Old English 2an!scri+ts.
BEO$A"6
Beo*!l' )as )$itten
in England, %ut is set
in Scandinavia/
It is an e'ic 'oem
told in histo$ical
'e$s'ective=
a sto$# of e'ic
events and
of g$eat 'eo'le
of a he$oic 'ast/
Beo*!l' is most
definitel# not a
5h$istian he$o,
ho)eve$/ Since
the e'ic of *eo)ulf is
'enned to %e ta!ing
'lace fou$ centu$ies
%efo$e the actual e'ic
)as )$itten and
Scandinavia )as
not 5h$istiani4ed
until at least the
;>th centu$#/
The g$eatest 'oem of the time )as *E8"+9,
an e'ic of the ?th o$ 0th c/ It )as o$iginall#
com'osed in the Me$cian o$ .o$thum%$ian dialect,
%ut has come do)n to us in a ;@th c/ "est Saxon
co'#/ It is valued %oth as a sou$ce of linguistic
mate$ial and as a )o$! of a$t= it is the oldest 'oem in
Ge$manic lite$atu$e/ *E8"+9 is %uilt u' of seve$al
songs a$$anged in th$ee cha'te$s (ove$ A,@@@
lines in all)/
+8, '$aise of the '$o)ess of 'eo'le-!ings
of s'ea$-a$med Danes, in da#s long s'ed,
)e have hea$d, and )hat hono$ the athelings
)onB
8ft Sc#ld the Scefing f$om s3uad$oned foes,
The Old English 1ariant
6)(tB "e Ga$dena in gea$dagum,
Ceodc#ninga, C$#m gef$unon,
hu Da (Celingas ellen f$emedon/
8ft Sc#ld Scefing sceaCena C$eatum,
The 2odern English 1ariant
In the ;@th c, )hen the old
heroic 1erses )e$e al$ead#
declining, some ne) )a$
'oems )e$e com'osed and
inse$ted in the '$ose histo$ical
ch$onicles:
THE BATT"E O6 B%A?A?BA%H,
THE BATT"E O6 2A"DO?.
The# %ea$ $esem%lance to
the ancient he$oic 'oems
%ut deal )ith contem'o$a$#
events: the )a$s )ith the Scots,
the Eicts and the $aide$s
f$om Scandinavia/
The 10th cent!r( heroic 1erses:
"(rics
Anothe$ g$ou' of 'oems a$e 8E elegiac
(l#$ical) 'oems: "IDSIT6 (FThe T$avelle$&s
SongF), T6E "A.DE:E:, T6E SEA9A:E:, and
othe$s/ T6E "A.DE:E: de'icts the so$$o)s
and %e$eavement of a 'oet in exile: he
laments the death of his '$otecto$s and
f$iends and ex'$esses his $esignation to the
gloom# fate/ T6E SEA9A:E: is conGside$ed to
%e the most o$iginal of the 'oems= it gives a
mou$nful 'ictu$e of the da$! no$the$n seas
and sings 7o# at the $etu$n of the s'$ing/
%eligio!s +oems
:eligious 'oems 'a$a'h$ase, mo$e o$ less
closel#, the %oo!s of the *i%le H GE.ESIS,
EI8DS ()$itten %# 5a(dmon)/ E+E.E,
A.DG:EAS, 56:IST, 9ATE 89 T6E
AE8ST+ES tell the life-sto$ies of a'ostles
and saints o$ deal )ith va$ious su%7ects
associated )ith the Gos'els (e/g/ in the
D:EAM 89 T6E :88D, the t$ee of )hich the
c$oss )as made tells its sto$# f$om the time
it )as cut to the c$ucifixion of 5h$ist=
ext$acts f$om this 'oem )e$e ca$ved in
$unes on the %!th*ell -ross)/
OE +rose is a most valua%le sou$ce of info$mation fo$
the histo$# of the language/ The ea$liest sam'les of
continuous '$ose a$e the fi$st 'ages of the A?3"O-
#ABO? -H%O?0-"E#: %$ief annals of the #ea$&s
ha''enings made at va$ious monaste$ies/ In the Jth c/
the ch$onicles )e$e unified at "incheste$, the ca'ital of
"essex/
Seve$al ve$sions of the A.G+8-SAI8. 56:8.I5+ES
have su$Gvived/ 6aving no 'a$ticula$ lite$a$# value the#
a$e of g$eatest inte$est to the 'hilologist, as the# affo$d
a close$ a''$oach to s'o!en 8E than 8E 'oet$# o$ '$ose
t$anslations f$om +atin= the st#le lac!s conciseness, the
s#ntax is '$imitive, fo$ it $eflects faithfull# the st#le of
o$al na$$ation/
A''endix
6amo!s Peo+le to 7no*
E#theas (KLMNOP), ca/ A0@ Q ca/ A;@ *5) )as a G$ee! me$chant,
geog$a'he$ and ex'lo$e$ f$om the G$ee! colon# Massilia
(toda# Ma$seille, 9$ance)/ 6e made a vo#age of ex'lo$ation to
no$th)este$n Eu$o'e a$ound A>2 *5/ 6e '$o%a%l# t$avelled
a$ound a conside$a%le 'a$t of G$eat *$itain, ci$cumnavigating
it %et)een AA@ and A>@ *5/
-ommentaries On
The 3allic $ar
8-ommentarii de
Bello 3allico<
5!li!s -easar
8100-44 B.-.<
The 3ermania
(Latin title: De Origine
et situ Germanorum)
is an ethnographic
work on the diverse
set of people Tacitus
believed
to be Germanic tribes
outside the
Roman mpire!
Tacit!s
85=-11= A.D.<
Al'red the 3reat
(also Rlf$ed f$om the
8ld English Rlf$Sd,
(c/ 0<J Q >1 8cto%e$
0JJ) )as !ing of the
southe$n Anglo-Saxon
!ingdom of "essex
f$om 0?; to 0JJ/
7nights o' the %o!nd Ta&le
)e$e those men a)a$ded the highest o$de$ of
5hival$# at the 5ou$t of ,ing A$thu$ in the
lite$a$# c#cle the Matte$ of *$itain/ The ta%le
at )hich the# met )as c$eated to have no
head o$ foot, $e'$esenting the e3ualit# of all
the mem%e$s/ Diffe$ent sto$ies had diffe$ent
num%e$s of !nights, $anging f$om onl# ;> to
;2@ o$ mo$e/ The "incheste$ :ound Ta%le,
)hich dates f$om the ;>?@s, lists >2 names
of !nights/
Si$ Thomas Malo$# desc$i%es
the ,nights& code o' chi1alr( as:
- To neve$ do out$age no$ mu$de$
- Al)a#s to flee t$eason
- To %# no means %e c$uel %ut
to give me$c# unto him )ho as!s
fo$ me$c#
- To al)a#s do ladies, gentle)omen
and )ido)s succo$
- To neve$ fo$ce ladies, gentle)omen
o$ )ido)s
- .ot to ta!e u' %attles in )$ongful
3ua$$els fo$ love o$ )o$ldl# goods
On the Histor( o' the
Ancient 3ermans,
The Origin o' the 6amil(,
Pri1ate Pro+ert(, and the
#tate is an im'o$tant and
detailed seminal )o$! connecting
ca'italism )ith )hat Engels a$gues
is an unnatu$al institution
famil# Q designed toF'$ivati4eF
)ealth and human $elationshi's
cont$a$# to the )a# animals and
ea$l# humans evolved/
6riedrich Engels
819C0-19;5<
Da1id -r(stal
81;41<
?othern
0reland, A7
1R Shat alphabets did the old &ermanis tribes useT
*R To 2hat subgroup did the English language
belongT
0R Shat tribal dialects did the UE language consist
ofT
R Shen did the 2ritten language begin to be usedT
%R Vame the oldest 2ritings in English.
,R Shy did the SesseW dialect dominate by the end of
the UE periodT
#R Shen did the Xcandinavian invasion beginT
3R Yn 2hat parts 2as England divided after the
Xcandinavian invasionT
9R (o2 did the Xcandinavian invasion influence the
English languageT
1+R Vame the oldest runic incriptions.
D!estions 'or #el'--ontrol
D!estions 'or #el'--ontrol 8contin!ed<

"hat event sta$t$d the develo'ment of the English languageT

"hat t$i%al dialects did the 8E language consist ofT

"h# did the dialects %ecome localT

"hat local dialects constituted the 8E languageT

"hat )as the linguistic situation in the 8E 'e$iodT

"hen did the )$itten language %egin to %e usedT

"hat al'ha%ets did he# useT

.ame the oldest )$itings in English/

"h# did the "essex dialect dominate %# the end of the 8E 'e$iodT

"hen did the Scandinavian invasion %eginT

In )hat 'a$ts )as England divided afte$ the Scandinavian invasionT

6o) did the Scandinavian invasion influence the English languageT

"hat event dete$mined +atin %o$$o)ings in 8ET