The Benedictine

Reform
- an important stage in the history of
Old English

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Table of contents
1. Linguistic and Historical context

2. Protagonists and reforms in particular

3. Effects on the Old English langugage

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Linguistic context
 Generally: Latin influence on English 
 3 stages of Latin influence on Old English
 Zero Period: continental borrowing
 First Period: through Celtic transmission
 Second Period: Christianizing of England
 earlier influence of Christianity (597 AD - 9th
century)
 Benedictine Reform (959 AD - end of OE period)

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Historical context
 8th century: England held the intellectual
leadership of Europe
 9th/10th century: downturn of the Church
 Viking invasions
 Decay of moral standards within the Church
  decay of education and learning
  reforms were urgently needed
 959 AD: King Eadgar  starting point of
the Benedictine Reform
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2. The three Protagonists
 Dunstan (909 - 988 A.D.)
 Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of
Worcester and of London, Archbishop of
Canterbury
 Æþelwold (909 - 984 A.D.)
 Bishop of Winchester
 Oswald (? - 992 A.D.)
 Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York

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2. Special Concerns of the
Reform
 Improvement of education
 Establishment of schools
 Encouragement of learning among monks
and clergy

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2. Results of the Reform
movement
 uniformity of observance within monastic
foundations
 the three reformers were established in
key positions of the English church and
counsellors to the king
 the King owned the power to install people
in clerical positions
 monasteries became once more centres of
literary activity
 composition of literary works in the
vernacular
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3. Translations from Latin to
English
 New Latin Importations
 less popular words than earlier Christian
borrowings
 learned, scientific character
 i.e. medical terms: cancer, paralysis
animal names: scorpion, camel
herbal and tree names: cucumber, ginger
clerical terms
 came through books

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 Application of native words to new
concepts
 shows the affect Christianity had on the lives
and thoughts of the English people
 words that expressed already existing
conceptions of Anglo-Saxon culture were by
slight adaptations made to fit their new
Christian meaning
 i.e. OE „God“ instead of lat. „Deus“
OE „Hálig Gást“ instead of lat. Spiritus
Sanctus
OE „déofol“ instead of lat. „diabulus“

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 Texts directly written in Old English
  most manuscripts in Old English
date from the time of the Bendictine
Reform
 Important authors:
 AEthelwold (preface to Regularis Concordia)
 AElfric (pupil of AEthelwold; largest corpus of
OE writing)

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 AEthelwold and his Winchester school
  effects on Old English?
 Skilful master of OE himself
 Teaching Latin in the vernacular
à Extraordinary interest in the OE language
à England‘s first English philologists

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 Why was AEthelwold so occupied with OE?
 What were his intentions behind the
promotion of OE?
 Access to knowledge also for the
common/uneducated people
 Thesis: creation of a literary standard !!!

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 By the time of the Norman Conquest:
highly developped OE literary standard
 Gradual development unlikely 
 Must have been a regulative force behind
this development 
 AEthelwold‘s school and scriptorium in
Winchester

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 AElfric‘s work
 Thesis: „Winchester Vocabulary“
  first step towards a literary
standard

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Effects on the Old English langugage
 Conclusion:
 Development of a temporary literary standard???
 Permanent extension of the (Old) English
vocabulary!

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