From Caedmon to Caxton

1. From Caedmon to Caxton Thomas Honeggert.m.honegger@gmx.de

2. http://www.db-thueringen.de/content/top/index.xml

6. simplified depiction of the development of the Germanic languages Protogermanic Northgermanic Westgermanic Eastgermanic Anglo-Frisian Gothic (†) Old Norse Old English Old High German Anglo-Norman Old Frisian Middle English Middle High German Old Dutch Frisian English German Yiddish Scandinavian languages Flemish Dutch Afrikaans

7. Characteristics of Germanic • 1) Gmc characterized by two vowel mergers: a) IE /a/ and /o/ > Gmc /a/ • Examples: Lat. octo = Got. ahtan, Lat. ager = Got. akkrs • b) IE /a:/ and /o:/ > Gmc /o:/ • Examples: Lat. mater = OE modorGreek pos = Goth. fotus

8. Characteristics of Germanic • 2) Grimm’s Law (First Consonant Shift, c. 500 BC): • a) aspirated voiced stops to voiced stops (bh> b, dh> d, gh>g) • bh > b: IE *bher- > Lat. fero vs. Goth. bairan, Engl. beargh > g: IE *ghost- > Lat. hostis vs. Goth. gasts, Engl. guest

9. Characteristics of Germanic • b) voiced stops to voiceless stops (b, d, g > p, t, k) • Examples: b > p: Lat. vibrare vs. Goth. weipan d > t: Lat. decem vs. Goth. taihun, Eng. teng> k: Lat. genu vs. Goth. kniu, Eng. knee

10. Characteristics of Germanic • c) voiceless stops to voiceless fricatives (p, t, k > f, th, h) • Examples: p > f: Lat. pater vs. Goth. fadar, Eng. father t > th: Lat. tres vs. Goth. threis, Engl. threek > h: Lat. cornu vs. Goth. haurn, Engl. horn

11. Characteristics of Germanic • 3) The ‘free’ or ‘dynamic’ accentual system of IE is replaced in Gmc by a system in which root-initial syllables are stressed. IE pitár vs. Goth. fádarExcept for certain prefixes, affixes can no longer be stressed. Long-term consequence: unstressed syllables are weakened (=> loss of inflectional endings in ME).

12. Characteristics of Germanic • 4) Noun inflection is simplified in (but not only in) Gmc. As a rule, nouns in Gmc languages only have four cases. IE/Latin has nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative, locative, vocative, instrumental; Old English has nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), genitive (possession), dative (indirect object) [traces of instrumental]

13. Characteristics of Germanic • Old English noun inflection • nominative (subject): stân, pl. stânas • accusative (direct object): stân, pl. stânas • genitive (possession): stânes, pl. stâna • dative (indirect object): stâne, pl. stânum • [traces of instrumental]: stâne, pl. stânum

14. Characteristics of Germanic • 5) In addition to the IE ‘strong’ adjective inflection, Gmc develops a new ‘weak’ inflection used after certain determiners. Cf. Modern German: • dieser gute Mann (weak) vs. ein guter Mann (strong)

15. Characteristics of Germanic • 6) All IE distinctions of tense and aspect in the verb are lost in Gmc, except for the present and preterite (or: past) tenses. New tense distinctions are made by means of composite forms. • OE has only two tense distinctions: present and preterite (more temporal concepts can be expressed, of course, but additional elements are needed to do so)

16. Characteristics of Germanic • 7) In addition to IE ‘strong’ verbs, Gmc develops a new class of ‘weak’ verbs, which form their past and past participle forms by means of a ‘dental suffix’ (/-d/ or /-t/)Example: schwimmen - schwamm - geschwommen / swim - swam - swum (strong)vs. kaufen - kaufte - gekauft / climb - climbed - climbed (weak)

17. Characteristics of Germanic • 8) Gmc has a large number of words that have no cognates in other IE languages.Examples: Hose/hose, Knecht/knight, See/sea, Schiff/ship, Bär/bear, Volk/folk, Schwert/sword etc.

18. Anglo-Saxon Invasion • Anglo-Saxon becomes the dominant language spoken by most of the inhabitants of Britain (now: Angle-lond) • loss of written literary culture • Celtic language survives in the ‘margins’ (Wales, Cornwall, Celtic kingdoms of Northern England and Scotland)

20. Re-christianisation • A.D. 597 Re-christianisation of England through missionaries from Rome (Augustine of Kent and his followers)

21. Re-christianisation • Gregory the Great and the slave-boys (cf. Bede’s HEGA II,1) • bright and fair complexion and hair • Angles => angels • Deira => rescued de ira and called to the mercy of Christ • Aelle => Alleluia shall be sung in their native land

22. Re-christianisation • effects of the re-christianisation of England: • Latin (and Greek) taught in monastery schools • reading and writing • England again part of a greater cultural realm (Christendom)

23. Languages on the British Isles • ???? • Celtic(5th cent. BC) • Latin (1st cent. A.D.) • Anglo-Saxon(5th cent. A.D.)

24. Writing Systems

25. Celtic Ogham

27. Anglo-Saxon Runes (futhorc)

28. Anglo-Saxon Runes • fuπorc .... • feoh = money, cattle, wealth (Vieh, ‘fee’) • ur = aurochs, Auerochse • πorn = thorn, Dorn • os = mouth • rad = riding • cen = torch • ...

32. Writing systems • Latin alphabet: • a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

33. Periodization • Old English (Anglo-Saxon)500-1100 • Middle English1100-1500 • (Early) Modern English 1500-

34. Periodization • drei geschlechter: masculinum femininum neutrum, drei numeri: singularis dualis pluralis, drei personen: erste zweite dritte, drei genera: activum medium pasivum, drei tempora: praesens praeteritum futurum, drei declinationen: durch A I U [omits strong o-stems and consonant-stems]. (J. Grimm, quoted in Lass 2000:12)

35. Periodization • Tripartite division first by Sweet in New English Grammar (1891): • OE: period of full endings • ME: period of levelled endings • Modern English: period of lost endings.

36. He cwåƒ, Soƒlice sum man håfde twegen suna. ƒa åfter feawum dagum ealle his πing gegaderude se gingra sunu, and ferde wråclice on feorlen rice, and forspilde πar his åhta. And he seide, A man hadde twei sones; And not aftir many daies, whanne alle thingis weren gedrid togider, the yonger sone wente forth in pilgrymage into a fer cuntre; and there he wastide his goodis Periodization

37. Criteria for ‘archaism’ • a) root-initial accent • b) at least 3 distinct vowel qualities in weak inflectional syllables • c) a dual • d) grammatical gender • e) 4 vowel-grades in (certain) strong verbs • f) distinct dative in at least some nouns • g) inflected definite article (or proto-article)

38. Criteria for ‘archaism’ • h) adjective inflection • i) infinitive suffix • j) person/number marking on the verb

40. Archaism ranking of Germanic languages • 1.0 Gothic, Old English, Old Icelandic • 0.9 Old High German, Modern Icelandic • 0.6 Middle High German, Modern German, Middle Dutch • 0.5 Middle English • 0.4 Modern Swedish, Modern Dutch • 0.1 Afrikaans • 0.0 Modern English

42. Germanic language-clusters • 1.0-0.9 OLD: Gothic, Old English, Old Icelandic, Modern Icelandic, Old High German • 0.6 MIDDLE: Middle High German, Modern German, Middle Dutch • 0.35 EARLY MODERN: Middle English, Modern Swedish, Modern Dutch • 0.15-0.0: MODERN: Afrikaans, English

43. Literature in Old English • Beowulf • Fight at Finnsburh • Battle of Maldon, Battle of Brunanburh • Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Judith, Christ, Andreas, Judgment Day, Dream of the Rood • Riddles • Elegies (e.g. Wife‘s Lament) • Homilies, as. Chronicle

44. The Poetic Manuscripts • The Junius Manuscript(Oxford, Bodleian Library, Junius 11)Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Christ and Satan • The Vercelli Book(Vercelli [Italy], Bibliotheca Capitolare CXVII)Elene, Dream of the Rood, Andreas, Fate of the Apostles, Homilies

45. The Poetic Manuscripts • The Exeter Book(Exter, Cathedral 3501)Christ I (Advent Lyrics), Christ II (Ascension), Christ III (Judgment), Guthlac A& B (7th century Mercian prince), The Phoenix, Juliana, The Wanderer, The Gifts of Men, The Seafarer, Vainglory, Widsith, The Fortunes of Men, Maxims, Descent into Hell, Soul and Body, Wulf and Eadwacer, Riddles, The Wife’s Lament

46. St Guthlac

47. The Last Judgment

48. Last Judgment

49. Last Judgment Theory Matthew

50. Last Judgment Theory John