Re: Etymology vs. Usage - the Saxons speak!

Jonathan Robie (jwrobie@mindspring.com)
Mon, 06 Jan 1997 19:17:18 -0500

I know this is straying off the topic, but for those who are really
interested in this,=20
there is a web site with good links to literature and historical information
on Anglo-Saxon England:

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~layher1/medscan.html

Here's a sentence of multi-syllabic Anglo-Saxon from the Parker Chronicle:

=DEa tungel witgan of eastd=E6le cuomon to =FEon =FE=E6t hie Crist=
weor=FEedon,=20
& =FEa cild on Bethlem ofsl=E6gene w=E6run for Cristes ehtnesse from=
Herode.=20

Here are the first four lines of Beowulf, in multi-syallabic Saxon:

Hw=E6t! We Gardena in geardagum,=20
=FEeodcyninga, =FErym gefrunon,=20
hu =F0a =E6=FEelingas ellen fremedon.=20
Oft Scyld Scefing scea=FEena =FEreatum,=20

I don't care to debate the nature of older forms of English further, but the
web site I mentioned above is a great resource to anyone curious about these
matters.

Now back to Greek...

Jonathan

***************************************************************************
Jonathan Robie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703
Ph: 919.598.5728 Fax: 919.598.6728
email: jwrobie@mindspring.com, jonathan@poet.com
http://www.poet.com <--- shockwave enabled!
***************************************************************************