A comprehensive introduction to Old English, combining simple,
clear philology with the best literary works to provide a
compelling and accessible beginners' guide.
* Provides a comprehensive introduction to Old English
* Uses a practical approach suited to the needs of the beginning
student
* Features selections from the greatest works of Old English
literature, organized from simple to more challenging texts to keep
pace with the reader
* Includes a discussion of Anglo-Saxon literature, history, and
culture, and a bibliography directing readers to useful
publications on the subject
* Updated throughout with new material including the first 25
lines from Beowulf with detailed annotation and an
explanation of Grimm's and Verner's laws
Autorentext
Fred C. Robinson is Douglas Tracy Smith Professor Emeritus at Yale University. He is a Fellow and past President of the Medieval Academy of America, and has received many honors. He has written extensively on Beowulf, Old English, and English and American literature and language of all periods.
Bruce Mitchell is late Fellow Emeritus of St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford.
Klappentext
A Guide to Old English is a detailed but accessible introduction to the Old English language for beginners. The language section offers a simple yet comprehensive language reference, including sections on orthography and pronunciation, inflexions, word formation, and syntax. The guide then provides an anthology of the best Old English literary works, with explanatory notes and a detailed glossary, which has been arranged carefully from the simplest texts to the more challenging, to facilitate students' language development.
Whilst retaining many of the elements of previous editions, which have made it so attractive to teachers and students of Old English for over 50 years, the eighth edition of the Guide has been updated in response to feedback from users to include the following additions:
- facsimile of the manuscript page from the beginning of Beowulf
- the first 25 lines of Beowulf, with an exceptionally detailed set of annotations aimed at preparing the student for a thorough study of the poem
- an explanation of Grimm's and Verner's Laws
- text revisions throughout to make the Guide as accessible as possible for undergraduate readers
The book also offers a discussion of Anglo-Saxon literature, history, and culture, and a bibliography directing readers to useful publications on the subject.
Altogether, this is a comprehensive introduction to Old English, combining simple, clear philology with the best literary works to provide a compelling and accessible beginners' guide.
Zusammenfassung
A comprehensive introduction to Old English, combining simple, clear philology with the best literary works to provide a compelling and accessible beginners' guide.
- Provides a comprehensive introduction to Old English
- Uses a practical approach suited to the needs of the beginning student
- Features selections from the greatest works of Old English literature, organized from simple to more challenging texts to keep pace with the reader
- Includes a discussion of Anglo-Saxon literature, history, and culture, and a bibliography directing readers to useful publications on the subject
- Updated throughout with new material including the first 25 lines from Beowulf with detailed annotation and an explanation of Grimm's and Verner's laws
Inhalt
Foreword to the Eighth Edition vi
Map of Anglo-Saxon England vii
Abbreviations and Symbols xv
How to Use this Guide 1
PART ONE.
1 Preliminary Remarks on the Language (§§14) 11
2 Orthography and Pronunciation (§§59) 13
i Orthography (§5) 13
ii Stress (§6) 13
iii Vowels (§7) 14
iv Diphthongs (§8) 14
v Consonants (§9) 15
3 Inflexions (§§10135) 17
Introduction (§§1014) 17
i Pronouns (§§1521) 18
ii Nouns and Sound-Changes Relevant to Them (§§2262) 20
Weak Nouns (§§2225) 20
Some Technical Terms (§§2632) 20
Strong Nouns like stan (masc.) and scip (neut.) (§§3344) 22
Masculine and Neuter Nouns in -e (§§4546) 26
Strong Feminine Nouns (§§4751) 27
i-Mutation (§§5257) 28
Nouns Affected by i-Mutation (§§5860) 29
u-Nouns (§§6162) 30
iii Adjectives (§§6376) 31
Introduction (§§6364) 31
Weak Declension (§65) 31
Strong Declension (§§6667) 31
Stem Changes in Adjectives (§§6873) 32
Comparison of Adjectives (§§7476) 33
iv Observations on Noun, Adjective, and Pronoun
Declensions (§§7781) 34
v Numerals (§§8286) 34
vi Strong Verbs and Sound-Changes Relevant to
Them (§§87114) 35
Introduction (§§8789) 35
Principal Parts of the Strong Verbs (§§9095) 36
Breaking (§§9699) 38
Influence of Initial i, sc, h (§100) 39
Influence of Nasals (§101) 40
Summary of the Strong Verbs of Class III (§102) 40
The Effects of Sound-Changes on Other Strong Verbs (§103) 40
Strong Verbs of Class VII (§104) 41
Grimm's Law and Verner's Law (§§105109) 41
Conjugation of the Strong Verb (§§110114) 43
vii Weak Verbs and Sound-Changes Relevant to
Them (§§115126) 46
Introduction (§115) 46
Class 1 (§§116123) 46
Class 2 (§§124125) 49
Class 3 (§126) 50
viii Anomalous Verbs (§§127130) 51
Bbon (§127) 51
Ddn and gan (§128) 51
Willan (§129) 52
Preterite-Present Verbs (§130) 52
ix Is a Verb Strong or Weak? To which Class does it Belong? (§§131134) 53
x Adverbs (§135) 54
Formation (§135) 54
Comparison (§135) 54
4 Word Formation (§§136138) 55
Introduction (§136) 55
i Compounding (§137) 56
ii The Addition of Affixes (§138) 57
Prefixes (§138) 58
Suffixes (§138) 59
5 Syntax (§§139214) 61
Introduction (§§139142) 61
i Word-Order (§§143147) 63
ii Sentence Structure (§§148153) 66
Recapitulation and Anticipation (§148) 66
The Splitting of Heavy Groups (§149) 67
Correlation (§§150153) 68
iii Noun Clauses (§§154161) 70
Introduction (§154) 70
Dependent Statements and Desires (§§155156) 70
Dependent Questions (§§157160) 72
The Accusative and Infinitive (§161) 75
iv Adjective Clauses (§§162165) 75
Definite Adjective Clauses (§§162163) 75
Indefinite Adjective Clauses (§164) 79
Mood (§165) 80
v Adverb Clauses (§§166181) 81
Introduction (§§166167) 81
Non-Prepositional Conjunctions (§168) 83
Prepositional Conjunctions (§§169171) 83
An Exercise in Analysis (§172) 86
Clauses of Place (§173) 87
Clauses of Time (§174) 88
Clauses of Purpose and Result (§175) 89
Causal Clauses (§176) 89
Clauses of Comparison (§177) 89
Clauses of Concession (§178...