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From Caedmon to Caxton

From Caedmon to Caxton. Thomas Honegger t.m.honegger@gmx.de. Tolkiens Weltbild(er). Zweites Tolkien Seminar der DTG FSU 15.-17. April 2005 Hörsaal 6, Carl-Zeiss-Strasse 3 Programm Homepage Anglistik oder unter www.tolkiengesellschaft.de. A (Literary) History of the English Language.

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From Caedmon to Caxton

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  1. From Caedmon to Caxton Thomas Honeggert.m.honegger@gmx.de

  2. Tolkiens Weltbild(er) • Zweites Tolkien Seminar der DTG • FSU 15.-17. April 2005 • Hörsaal 6, Carl-Zeiss-Strasse 3 • Programm Homepage Anglistik oder unter www.tolkiengesellschaft.de

  3. A (Literary) History of the English Language ‘Literary’ counterpart to Prof. H. Diessel’s lecture History of the English Language

  4. Recommended Reading • Barber, Charles. 2000. The English Language. A Historical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press • Baugh, A.C. & Thomas Cable. 2002. A History of the English Language. 5th edition. London: Routledge. • Blake, Norman. 1996. A History of the English Language. London: Macmillan.

  5. Recommended Reading • Freeborn, D. 1998. From Old English to Standard English. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. • Millward, C.M. 1996. A Biography of the English Language. 2nd edition. Boston: Thomson/Heinle. • Pyles, Thomas and John Algeo. 1993. The Origins and Development of the English Language. 4th edition. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcout Brace Jovanovich

  6. Recommended Reading • The Cambridge History of the English Language. Vol. I-V. 1992. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  7. Caedmon The father of English poetry

  8. Bede’s account of Caedmon • Bede (Beda Venerabilis) *637, 735 • Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum 731 • A History of the English Church and People • Book IV, Chapter 24 (A.D. 680)

  9. Caedmon’s Hymn • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardMetodes mihte 7 his modgeπonc,weorc wuldorfaeder, swa he wundra gehwaesece drihten, ord onstealde;He aerest gesceop eorπan bearnumheofon to hrofe, halig scyppend,πa middangearde, moncynnes weard;ece dryhten aefter teodefirum foldan, frea aelmyhtig.

  10. Caedmon’s Hymn • Now we must praise heaven-kingdom’s GuardianCreator’s might and his mind-thoughtwork Glory-father’s as he of-wonders eacheverlasting Lord, beginning established.He first shaped of-earth for-childrenheaven as roof, holy Creator;then middle-earth, mankind’s Guardian,everlasting Lord, after determinedfor-men homeland, Ruler almighty.

  11. Caedmon’s poetic output • Creation of the world and of the human race (Genesis) • Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Exodus) • Entry into the Promised Land (Joshua) • Lord’s Incarnation • Passion, Resurrection, Ascension • Judgment Day

  12. English? • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardMetodes mihte 7 his modgeπonc,weorc wuldorfaeder, swa he wundra gehwaesece drihten, ord onstealde;He aerest gesceop eorπan bearnumheofon to hrofe, halig scyppend,πa middangearde, moncynnes weard;ece dryhten aefter teodefirum foldan, frea aelmyhtig.

  13. nu we sculan herian heofon rice weard now / nun we / wir shall / sollen ––– / hehr heaven / (Himmel) rich / Reich warden / Wärter Old English - English / German

  14. mihte weorc wunder aerest gesceop eorπan hrof middangeard might / Macht work / Werk wonder / Wunder ere/ erst shaped / schuf earth / Erde roof / ––––– middle- / Midgart Old English - English / German

  15. English • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardnow we shall praise heavenkingdom’s warden • spelling & pronunciation? • more or less ‘phonetic’ spelling of Old English; ‘continental’ pronunciation

  16. English • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardnow we shall praise heavenkingdom’s warden • inflections? • sculan – sollen – shall__ • rices – des Reichs – of the kingdom

  17. English • He aerest gesceop bearnumheofon to hrofe • syntax? • subject: he • direct object (acc.): heofon • indirect object (dat.): bearnum

  18. English • vocabulary? • Heaerestgesceopeorπanbearnumheofon to hrofe, haligscyppend,πa middangearde, moncynnesweard. • continuation: heofon – heaven, eorπe – earth • semantic change: scyppan – shape (=> replaced by ‘create’) • substitution: bearn – child

  19. Literature? • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardMetodes mihte 7 his modgeπonc,weorc wuldorfaeder, swa he wundra gehwaesece drihten, ord onstealde;He aerest gesceop eorπan bearnumheofon to hrofe, halig scyppend,πa middangearde, moncynnes weard;ece dryhten aefter teodefirum foldan, frea aelmyhtig.

  20. Literature? • Criteria for literature? • topic? • diction? • form? • informative - relational - expressive

  21. Literature! • Nu we sculan herian heofonrices weardMetodes mihte 7 his modgeπonc,weorc wuldorfaeder, swa he wundra gehwaesece drihten, ord onstealde;He aerest gesceop eorπan bearnumheofon to hrofe, halig scyppend,πa middangearde, moncynnes weard;ece dryhten aefter teodefirum foldan, frea aelmyhtig.

  22. Alliteration / Stabreim • Examples from the OE poem Beowulf(try to find the alliterating sounds) • on fagne flor feond treddode, • ligge gelicost leoht unfæger • recedes muπan. Raπe æfter πon • eode yrremod; him of eagum stod

  23. Alliteration / Stabreim • on fagne flor feond treddode, a a // a x • ligge gelicost leoht unfægera a //a x • recedes muπan. Raπe æfter πona x // a x • eode yrremod; him of eagum stoda a //x a

  24. Alliteration / Stabreim • Basic rule for alliterative long line: • at least one (and at most two) of the stressed syllables of the first half-line alliterate(s) with one (usually the first) stressed syllable of the second half-line: • a (a) // a x • identical consonants alliterate • all vowels alliterate • glottal stop

  25. Before Caedmon • ca. A.D. 680 Caedmon • A.D. 597 Re-christianisation of England through missionaries from Rome (Augustine of Kent and his followers) • A.D. 449 Anglo-Saxon invasion • A.D. 409/10 Rome calls back the last remaining legions in Britain • A.D. 43 Roman army conquers Britannia • ca. 500 BC Celtic settlement of Britain

  26. Before Caedmon • ca. 500 BC Celtic settlement of Britain=> Britain with a Celtic speaking population • A.D. 43 Roman invasion => Celtic speaking population with Latin speaking upper class / administration • 4th cent. A.D. Christianisation of Roman Britain

  27. Before Caedmon • A.D. 409/410 retreat of the Roman occupation/protection force => Celtic speaking population, Latin among educated people • A.D. 449 onwards: Anglo-Saxon invasion => conquest of Britain goes hand in hand with the loss of Roman culture (towns, roads, literary culture, administration)

  28. Before Caedmon • Anglo-Saxon invasion => ‘oral’ culture (cf. Tacitus’ Germania A.D. 98) • pagan culture

  29. English and Indo-European • English is a Germanic language • the Germanic language group is part of the Indo-European language family

  30. Evidence for IE languages • 700 English • 500 Armenian • 400 Gothic • 0 • 200 Latin • 400 Classical Sanskrit • 800 Greek • 1200 Hittite • 1500 Vedic Sanskrit • 3000 Proto Indo-European

  31. Theories about a common source • correspondences across languages: • Engl. two - Goth. twai - Latin duo - Greek duo - Sanskrit dva • Engl. fish - Goth. fisks – Latin piscis – Greek ikhthys • Engl. father - Latin pater - Greek pater – Sanskrit pitar

  32. Theories about a common source • James Parson, 1767, The Remains of Japhet, being historical enquiries into the affinity and origins of the European languages • languages of Europe, Iran and India derived from a common ancestor • the language of Japhet and his offspring, who had migrated out of Armenia, the final resting place of the Ark.

  33. Theories about a common source • Sir William Jones (1796): • The Sanskrit language [bears to both Greek and Latin] a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could have been produced by accident; [...] no philologer could examine all three without believing them to have sprung from some common source

  34. Reconstructing the Common Source • Avis, jasmin varna na a ast, dadarka akvams, tam vagham garum vaghantam, tam, bharam magham, tam manum aku bharantam. (Schleicher 1868) • Owis, jesmin wel´na ne est, dedok’e ek’wons, tom, woghom gwerum weghontom, tom, bhorom megam, tom, gh’emonm ok’u bhertontm. (Hirt 1939)

  35. Reconstructing the Common Source • owis, kwesyo wlhna ne est, ekwons espeket, oinom ghe gwrum woghom weghontm, oinomkwe megam bhorom, oinomkwe ghmenm oku bherontm. (Lehmann and Zgusta 1975) • A sheep, on which wool not was, saw horses, one, a wagon heavy pulling, one, a load great, one a man swiftly carrying.

  36. In search of the IE homeland • Linguistic evidence: • common words for: cold, winter, snow, honey, wolf, beech, pine • no common words for: ocean, palm, elephant, camel

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