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Anglo Saxon Language Change

Anglo Saxon Language Change. Invasions. Roman Empire falls – British provinces cut loose Celtic tribes begin to invade along with Anglo-Saxon tribes Celtic languages develop but do not prevail with the presence of Anglo-Saxon culture. Runes. Before the introduction of Christianity

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Anglo Saxon Language Change

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  1. Anglo Saxon Language Change

  2. Invasions • Roman Empire falls – British provinces cut loose • Celtic tribes begin to invade along with Anglo-Saxon tribes • Celtic languages develop but do not prevail with the presence of Anglo-Saxon culture

  3. Runes • Before the introduction of Christianity • Symbols for writing messages • Means “secret” or “mystery” • Believed if you used runes in the right order they have magical powers • Some runes meant: Wealth/cattle, water, giant, corn, journey, illness, gift, joy, hail, need, ice , harvest, fate, elk, sun, birch, horse, man, lake, inheritance

  4. Old English • Musical language • Very different from the English we speak today • Scholars and specialists are the only people who can read it today http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/language_timeline/index_embed.shtml

  5. How it Became Transcribed • Around 600 AD Christian missionaries arrive • Begin first bits of literacy • No standard system of spelling, write the way things sounded • Adopted Latin alphabet to fit Old English sounds in that part of the country • Developed Old English dialects • Northumbrian – North • Mercian- the midlands • West-Saxon – South & West ( most documents written in this dialect because they were politically prestigious in Wessex) • Kentish – South East

  6. Similarities • Simple every-day words: • An – One • Twa – two • Threo – three • Feower – four • Aeppel – apple • Hund- hound • Family Words: • Faeder – Father • Modor – mother • Dohtor- Daughter

  7. Similarities (contin.) • Parts of the body: • Heorte- heart • Fot – foot • Vowel Changes/ Tenses: • Sing/Sang/Sung = singan/ sang/ sungen

  8. Fun Fact! • The Anglo-Saxons were a pagan race and traces still remain in the names of four days of the week: • Tuesday - Tiw • Wednesday –Woden • Thursday –Thor • Friday – Frig (Thor’s Wife)

  9. Scops • Singers who used the language to sing/tell stories • Sometimes made things up as they went along • Accompanied their tales with harps

  10. Word Play • Anglo-Saxon people loved word games • Famous riddle book is called The Exeter Book • Two kinds • Writing from the object’s perspective • Describing the object

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