Introduction to Old English

by Baker, Peter S.

• ISBN13: 9780470659847
• ISBN10: 047065984X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Featuring numerous updates and additional anthology selections, the 3rd edition of Introduction to Old English confirms its reputation as a leading text designed to help students engage with Old English literature for the first time. A new edition of one of the most popular introductions to Old English Assumes no expertise in other languages or in traditional grammar Includes basic grammar reviews at the beginning of each major chapter and a "minitext" feature to aid students in practicing reading Old English Features updates and several new anthology readings, including King Alfred's Preface to Gregory's Pastoral Care

Author Biography

Peter S. Baker is Professor of English, specializing in medieval literature and the history of the English language, at the University of Virginia. His previous books include editions of Byrhthferth's Enchiridion (with Michael Lapidge, 1995) and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xii
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Preface to the Third Edition	p. xiv
How to use this book	p. XV
The Anglo-Saxons and Their Language	p. 1
Who were they?	p. 1
Where did their language come from?	p. 3
What was Old English like?	p. 4
The Indo-European languages	p. 5
The Germanic languages	p. 6
West Germanic and Low German	p. 7
Old and Modern English	p. 9
Old English dialects	p. 10
Pronunciation	p. 11
Quick start	p. 11
Vowels and diphthongs	p. 12
Consonants	p. 14
Sermonette	p. 16
More about vowels	p. 16
Short a, æ and ea	p. 16
I-mutation	p. 17
Silent e; o for u	p. 18
More about c and g	p. 18
Syllable length	p. 20
Accentuation	p. 20
On-line pronunciation practice	p. 21
Summary	p. 21
Basic Grammar: A Review	p. 22
Parts of speech	p. 22
Nouns	p. 23
Pronouns	p. 23
Verbs	p. 24
Adjectives	p. 26
Adverbs	p. 27
Prepositions	p. 27
Conjunctions	p. 27
Interjections	p. 28
Phrases	p. 28
Clauses	p. 29
Elements of the sentence or clause	p. 30
Subject	p. 30
Verb	p. 31
Object	p. 32
Complement	p. 33
Predicate	p. 33
Case	p. 34
What is case?	p. 34
Uses of the cases	p. 35
Nominative	p. 35
Accusative	p. 36
Genitive	p. 37
Dative	p. 38
Instrumental	p. 39
Pronouns	p. 41
Quick start	p. 41
Personal pronouns	p. 41
Possessive adjectives	p. 41
Demonstrative pronouns	p. 43
More about personal and demonstrative pronouns	p. 44
The dual number	p. 44
Common spelling variants	p. 45
Interrogative pronouns	p. 45
Indefinite pronouns	p. 46
Relative pronouns	p. 47
Reflexive pronouns	p. 48
Reciprocal pronouns	p. 48
Nouns	p. 50
Quick start	p. 50
Strong nouns	p. 51
Weak nouns	p. 53
Athematic nouns	p. 55
The noun phrase	p. 56
More about strong nouns	p. 57
Two-syllable nouns	p. 57
Nouns with changes in the stem syllable	p. 58
Nouns with -w- or -g- before the ending	p. 59
Minor declensions	p. 60
u-stem nouns	p. 60
Nouns of relationship	p. 61
Nouns with -r- plurals	p. 62
Nouns with -p- endings	p. 62
Verbs	p. 64
Quick start	p. 64
Strong and weak verbs	p. 64
Beon 'to be'	p. 67
Preterite-present verbs	p. 68
More about endings	p. 68
Assimilation	p. 68
Plurals ending in -e	p. 69
Subjunctive plural endings	p. 69
More about weak verbs	p. 69
Classes 1 and 2	p. 70
Class 1 weak verbs that change their vowels	p. 71
Contracted verbs	p. 72
Class 3 weak verbs	p. 72
More about strong verbs	p. 73
The strong verb classes	p. 73
Verbs affected by grammatical alternation	p. 76
Contracted verbs	p. 77
Tips on strong verbs	p. 78
Verbs with weak presents and strong pasts	p. 79
More about preterite-present verbs	p. 80
Don, gan, willan	p. 81
Negation	p. 82
The verbals	p. 83
Infinitives	p. 83
Participles	p. 84
The subjunctive	p. 85
Adjectives	p. 89
Quick start	p. 89
Strong adjectives	p. 91
Weak adjectives	p. 92
Comparison of adjectives	p. 93
The adjective in the noun phrase	p. 94
Numerals	p. 96
Quick start	p. 96
Cardinal numbers	p. 97
Ordinal numbers	p. 98
Adverbs, Conjunctions and Prepositions	p. 99
Quick start	p. 99
Adverbs	p. 99
Comparison of adverbs	p. 101
Conjunctions	p. 101
Correlation	p. 102
Prepositions	p. 104
Concord	p. 106
Quick start	p. 106
Subject and verb	p. 107
Impersonal verbs	p. 109
Pronoun and antecedent	p. 110
Noun and modifiers	p. 111
Bad grammar?	p. 112
Word-order	p. 115
Quick start	p. 115
Subject-Verb	p. 115
Verb-Subject	p. 117
Subject…Verb	p. 118
Correlation	p. 119
Anticipation	p. 121
Periphrastic verbs	p. 121
Metre	p. 123
Alliteration	p. 124
Rhythm	p. 126
Lifts, half-lifts and drops	p. 126
Rhythmic types	p. 128
Hypermetric verses	p. 131
Poetic Style	p. 133
Vocabulary	p. 134
Variation	p. 137
Formulas	p. 140
Phrases	p. 140
Themes	p. 142
Originality and quality	p. 143
The Grammar of Poetry	p. 146
Inflections	p. 146
Pronouns	p. 146
Verbs	p. 146
Adjectives	p. 147
Syntax	p. 147
Omission of subjects and objects	p. 147
Omission of prepositions	p. 149
Adjectives used as nouns	p. 150
Word-order	p. 150
Independent and subordinate clauses	p. 152
Old English in its Material Context	p. 156
Manuscripts	p. 156
Construction of the manuscript	p. 156
The Old English alphabet	p. 157
Abbreviations	p. 159
Punctuation and capitalization	p. 159
Word- and line-division	p. 162
Errors and corrections	p. 163
Runes	p. 163
Other inscriptions	p. 167
Common Spelling Variants	p. 169
Vowels of accented syllables	p. 169
Unaccented syllables	p. 170
Consonants	p. 171
Phonetic Symbols and Terms	p. 172
International Phonetic Alphabet symbols	p. 172
Phonetic terms	p. 174
Further Reading	p. 175
General works	p. 175
Grammars	p. 175
Dictionaries and concordances	p. 176
Bibliographies	p. 176
Old English texts and translations	p. 177
Literary criticism; sources and analogues; metre	p. 178
History and culture	p. 178
Manuscripts, art and archaeology	p. 178
On-line aids	p. 179
On-line amusements	p. 180
Anthology	p. 181
The Fall of Adam and Eve	p. 181
The Life of St AEthelthryth	p. 183
Cynewulf and Cyneheard	p. 186
The Martyrdom of AElfheah	p. 188
Sermo Lupi ad Anglos	p. 191
King Alfred's Preface to Gregory's Pastoral Care	p. 197
Ohthere and Wulfstan	p. 202
The Story of Casdmon	p. 210
Boethius on Fame	p. 215
A Selection of Riddles	p. 223
The Battle of Maldon	p. 227
The Wanderer	p. 240
The Dream of the Rood	p. 245
The Battle of Finnesburh	p. 251
Waldere	p. 253
Wulf and Eadwacer	p. 257
The Wife's Lament	p. 259
The Husband's Message	p. 262
Judith	p. 264
Textual Notes	p. 275
Glossary	p. 283
References	p. 387
Index	p. 394
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