Old English

Political Division

Main Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and Dialects

• Wessex
• East Anglia
• Mercia
• Northumbria

• West Saxon
• Kentish
• Anglian: Mercian
• Anglian: Northumbrian

West Saxon

• Early: King Alfred (late ninth century)
• Late: Ælfric (late tenth century)

eWS	lWS	translation
fierd	fyrd	campaign
hīeran	hȳran	hear
scēap	scēp	sheep

Script & Alphabet

ᚠ

ᚢ

ᚦ

ᚩ

ᚱ

ᚳ

ᚷ

ᚹ

ᚻ

ᚾ

ᛁ

ᛄ

ᛇ

ᛈ

ᛉ

ᛋ

ᛏ

ᛒ

ᛖ

ᛗ

ᛚ

ᛝ

ᛟ

ᛞ

ᚪ

ᚫ

ᚣ

ᛡ

ᛠ

f e o h

ū r

þ o r n

ō s

r ā d

c ē n

g y f u

w y n n

h æ g l

n ȳ d

ī s

g e r

ē o h

p e o r þ

e o l h

s i g e l

t ī r

b e o r c

e h

m a n n

l a g u

i n g

ē þ e l

d æ g

ā c

æ s c

ȳ r

ī o r

ē a r

A

Æ

B

C

D

E

F

G

Ȝ

H

I

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

Þ

Ð

U

Ƿ

Y

a

æ

b

c

d

e

f

g

ȝ

h

i

l

m

n

o

p

r

s

t

þ

ð

u

ƿ

y

Sound Changes: Front Mutation

Sound Changes: Front Mutation

Sound Changes: Front Mutation

		*cuning	→	cyning
dohtor, dat. *dohtri	→	*dehtri	→	dehter
mann, dat. *manni	→	*menni	→	menn
fōt, dat. *fōti	→	*fēti	→	fēt
bōc, pl. *bōciz	→	*bēciz	→	bēc

Sound Changes: Back Mutation

Breaking of /æ, e, i/ as occasioned by a following early OE /a, u/ (/u/ may be written <o, u>, in unstressed contexts <e>)

e	→	eo	i	→	io	æ	→	ea
hefon	→	heofon	sifon	→	siofon	scædu	→	sceadu
efor	→	eofor	*silfor	→	siolfor	*æfora	→	eafora

Sound Changes: Breaking and Retraction

• /æ/ becomes /a/ or /æa/ <ea>
• /e/ becomes /o/ or /eo/
• /i/ becomes /u/ or /io/

These changes are triggered by a following

• lC
• rC
• /χ/
• w
• back vowel (see back mutation)

Sound Changes: Breaking and Retraction

early OE	West Saxon	Anglian	PDE	German
æll	eall	all	all	all-
hældan	healdan	haldan	hold	halten
æhta	eahta	æhto	eight	acht
*fehtan	feohtan	feohtan	fight	fechten
*līht	līoht	lēht	light	Licht

Word Order

	Der Diener	sucht	den König
	Den König	sucht	Der Diener
dass	der Diener	den Köning	sucht
dass	den König	der Diener	sucht
Dann	sucht	der Diener	den König
Dann	sucht	den König	der Diener

The servant	seeks	the king
The servant	the king	seeks
Seeks	the servant	the king

Word Order

Se þēow	þone cyning	sēceð
Se þēow	sēceð	þone cyning
Þone cyning	sēceð	se þēow
Þone cyning	se þēow	sēceð
Sēceð	se þēow	þone cyning
? Sēceð	þone cyning	se þēow

Word Order

SOV default order in OE?

• SVO: Hy habbað swyðe lytle scypa.
• SOV: Ða þa he hit gemette he hit bær on his exlum to þære eowde.
• VSO: Geseah he engles hand in sele writan Sennera wite.

Distal Demonstrative Pronoun se

	Masc. sg.	Neut. sg.	Fem. sg.	Plural
Nom.	se	þæt	sēo	þā
Acc.	þone	þæt	þā	þā
Gen.	þæs	þæs	þǣre	þāra
Dat.	þām	þām	þǣre	þām
Inst.	þȳ	þȳ

• Se cyning is dēad
• Ic sēo þone cyning
• Ic eom þæs cyninges sunu
• Ic hiere þām cyninge
• Þȳ sweorde ic hine ofslōh

Proximal Demonstrative Pronoun þes

	Masc. sg.	Neut. sg.	Fem. sg.	Plural
Nom.	þes	þis	þēos	þās
Acc.	þisne	þis	þās	þās
Gen.	þisses	þisses	þisse	þissa
Dat.	þissum	þissum	þisse	þissum
Inst.	þȳs	þȳs

Personal Pronouns

	1 sg.	1 dual	1 pl.
Nom.	ic	wit	wē
Acc.	mē	unc	ūs
Gen.	mīn	uncer	ūre
Dat.	mē	unc	ūs

	2 sg.	2 dual	2 pl.
Nom.	þū	git	gē
Acc.	þē	inc	ēow
Gen.	þīn	incer	ēower
Dat.	þē	inc	ēow

Personal and Interrogative Pronouns

	Masc. sg.	Neut. sg.	Fem. sg.	Plural
Nom.	hē	hit	hēo	hīe
Acc.	hine	hit	hīe	hīe
Gen.	his	his	hire	hira
Dat.	him	him	hire	him

	Masc./fem.	Neut.
Nom.	hwā	hwæt
Acc.	hwone	hwæt
Gen.	hwæs	hwæs
Dat.	hwām	hwām
Inst.	hwȳ	hwȳ

Strong Nouns

m	singular	plural	singular	plural
Nom.	stān	stānas	dæg	dagas
Acc.	stān	stānas	dæg	dagas
Gen.	stānes	stāna	dæges	daga
Dat.	stāne	stānum	dæge	dagum

n	singular	plural	singular	plural
Nom.	word	word	scip	scipu
Acc.	word	word	scip	scipu
Gen.	wordes	worda	scipes	scipa
Dat.	worde	wordum	scipe	scipum

Strong Nouns

f	singular	plural	singular	plural
Nom.	lār	lāra	giefu	giefa
Acc.	lāre	lāra	giefe	giefa
Gen.	lāre	lāra	giefe	giefa
Dat.	lāre	lārum	giefe	giefum

Weak Nouns

m/n	singular	plural	singular	plural
Nom.	nama	naman	ēage	ēagan
Acc.	naman	naman	ēage	ēagan
Gen.	naman	namena	ēagan	ēagena

Strong Verbs

Class I: scīnan “shine”
present indicative				present subjunctive
1sg	ic scīne	1pl	wē scīnaþ	1sg	ic scīne	1pl	wē scīnen
2sg	þū scīnest	2pl	gē scīnaþ	2sg	þū scīne	2pl	gē scīnen
3sg	hē scīneþ	3pl	hīe scīnaþ	3sg	hē scīne	3pl	hīe scīnen
preterite indicative				preterite subjunctive
1sg	ic scān	1pl	wē scīnon	1sg	ic scine	1pl	wē scinen
2sg	þū scine	2pl	gē scinon	2sg	þū scine	2pl	gē scinen
3sg	hē scān	3pl	hīe scinon	3sg	hē scine	3pl	hīe scinen
past participle		scinen	imperative sg		scīn	pl	scīnaþ

Strong Verb Gradation Patterns

class	first	fronted	second	third	fourth
1	scīnan		scān	scinon	scinen
2	crēopan	crīepþ	crēap	crupon	cropen
3	bregdan	britt	brægd	brugdon	brogden
4	beran	birþ	bær	bǣron	boren
5	tredan	tritt	træd	trǣdon	treden
6	faran	færst	fōr	fōron	faren
7	healdan	healdeþ	hēold	hēoldon	healden
7	hātan	hǣt	hēt	hēton	hāten

Weak Verbs

Class 1: fremman “do”
present indicative				present subjunctive
1sg	ic fremme	1pl	wē fremmaþ	1sg	ic fremme	1pl	wē fremmen
2sg	þū fremest	2pl	gē fremmaþ	2sg	þū fremme	2pl	gē fremmen
3sg	hē fremeþ	3pl	hīe fremmaþ	3sg	hē fremme	3pl	hīe fremmen
preterite indicative				preterite subjunctive
1sg	ic fremede	1pl	wē fremedon	1sg	ic fremede	1pl	wē fremeden
2sg	þū fremedest	2pl	gē fremedon	2sg	þū fremede	2pl	gē fremeden
3sg	hē fremede	3pl	hīe fremedon	3sg	hē fremede	3pl	hīe fremeden
past participle		fremed	imperative sg		freme	pl	fremmaþ

Lexical Influences

• Celtic
  • Pre-settlement: rice “kingdom”, dūn “mountain”
  • Post-settlement: drȳ “magician”, brocc “badger”
• Greek, pre-settlement: cirice “church”
• Latin, post-conversion: biscop, munuc, etc.
• Old Norse, attested pre-Conquest: c. 150 (wicing, æsc, cnearr, hæfene, lænding)

Native Neologisms

• gōdspell
• þrȳnes