Old English: A Linguistic Introduction (Cambridge Introductions to the English Language)

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Figures......Page 10
Preface......Page 11
Notations and Conventions......Page 12
1.1 The purpose of this book......Page 15
1.2 How to use this book......Page 16
1.3 The origins of English......Page 17
1.4 Evidence for Old English......Page 20
Note......Page 23
2.2 Spellings and sounds: basic terminology......Page 25
2.3 The OE system of sounds and spellings......Page 29
2.4 Grammar and lexicon: basic terminology......Page 31
2.5 The OE lexicon......Page 34
2.6 OE grammar......Page 36
Note......Page 37
3.1 What did OE look like?......Page 39
3.2 A passage of OE prose......Page 43
3.3 The Dream of the Rood......Page 47
3.4 The remainder of this book......Page 49
Note......Page 50
4.1 Fuþorc and alphabet......Page 51
4.2 The OE sound-system: Introduction......Page 54
4.3 The OE consonants and vowels......Page 55
4.4 Stressed and unstressed syllables......Page 57
4.5 Sound-change and dialectal variation......Page 59
4.5.1 Sound-changes affecting vowels in stressed syllables......Page 61
Dialectal distinctions in the OE vowels in stressed syllables......Page 65
4.5.2 Sound-changes in the vowels of unstressed syllables......Page 66
4.5.3 The OE consonants......Page 67
4.6 The problem of the ‘short diphthongs’......Page 69
Notes......Page 71
5.1 Lexical morphology I: roots, themes and stems......Page 73
5.2 Lexical morphology II: affixation and compounding......Page 76
5.3 Borrowing......Page 78
5.4 Lexicon and semantics......Page 82
Notes......Page 86
6.1 Introduction......Page 88
6.2 The OE noun phrase: functions......Page 91
6.3 The verb phrase: functions......Page 96
6.4 Sentence structure I: element-order......Page 99
6.5 Sentence structure II: clauses......Page 101
6.6 Sentence structure III: special features......Page 105
7.1 Inflexional morphology I: nouns......Page 108
7.1.1 General masculine declension......Page 109
7.1.3 General neuter declension......Page 111
7.1.4 The -an declension......Page 112
7.1.5 Minor declensions......Page 113
7.2 Inflexional morphology II: pronouns and determiners......Page 115
7.3 Inflexional morphology III: adjectives, adverbs and numerals......Page 119
7.4 Inflexional morphology IV: verbs......Page 123
Class II......Page 128
Class III......Page 129
Class IV......Page 130
Class VII......Page 131
7.5 Diachronic and dialectal variation......Page 135
(a) Fuþarks and fuþorcs (Kylver Stone, Rök Stone, Thames scramasax)......Page 138
(b) The Negau helmet......Page 139
(e) The Caistor-by-Norwich astragalus bone......Page 140
(f) The Franks (Auzon) Casket inscription......Page 141
(a) The Alfred Jewel inscription (see Okasha 1971: 48–9)......Page 142
(a) From the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle......Page 143
(b) From Alfred’s Preface to the Pastoral Care......Page 145
(c) From Ælfric’s Life of King Oswald......Page 146
(d) From Beowulf......Page 147
(e) Cædmon’s Hymn (WS Version)......Page 149
(b) Gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels (selection)......Page 150
(c) From the Vespasian Psalter Gloss......Page 152
(d) Kentish Psalm......Page 154
The Peterborough Chronicle......Page 155
Discussion questions......Page 157
Recommended further reading......Page 158
Glossary of Old English–Present-Day English......Page 161
Glossary of Key Terms......Page 197
References......Page 205
Index......Page 209