1 / 31

AN Historical Perspective

AN Historical Perspective. The origins of Anglo Saxon England. Fun Facts. English wasn’t spoken in England until the fifth century Even then, you wouldn’t recognize it English evolved from a synthetic to an analytic language We lost a number of letters along the way

wilmer
Télécharger la présentation

AN Historical Perspective

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. AN Historical Perspective The origins of Anglo Saxon England

  2. Fun Facts • English wasn’t spoken in England until the fifth century • Even then, you wouldn’t recognize it • English evolved from a synthetic toan analytic language • We lost a number of letters along the way • Eth – ð (voiced th, “then”) • Thorn – þ (unvoiced th, “with”) • Ash – æ (that)

  3. Things we’ve lost • Nouns • where once there was mūð, mūðes, mūðe and mūð in the singular and mūðas, mūða, mūðum, and mūðas in the plural… By middle English there were just three: mūð, mūðes and mūðe • Today there are just mouth and mouths • Strong and weak declension –s or –es vs. –en • We used to have more en plurals like “oxen” • Decay of Inflectional endings (suffixes) • Noun and adjective endings that made distinction in number , case, and gender • Now this is largely determined by where the word falls in the sentence

  4. NOMINATIVE: The subject of a sentence and for the subject complement. • Subject Complement = What something else is • Ben is a policeman • The pie smells yummy. • GENITIVE: Used to indicate possession and other similar relations; it is usually helpful to begin by translating it with the Modern English 's form or using the preposition of. • Not too different from el gato de juan, “the cat of juan” • DATIVE: Used for the indirect object of verbs • They sent him a postcard • ACCUSATIVE: most commonly used for the direct object of a transitive verb. It is also used for the objects of some prepositions. • You lifted the bag • INSTRUMENTAL: The instrumental case is only distinct from the dative case for a few pronouns and for strong adjectives. It is used to indicate the thing or person by means of which the action of the verb is accomplished. • I wrote the note with a pen

  5. This is "this"

  6. Strong verbs that became weak • Analogy, in linguistics, is the process by which rare examples tend to follow the pattern of the common. • Plural of cow used to be kine, now it’s just cows • With Verbs • Oke was once the past tense of ache • Stope for step • Rew for row • Clew for clawed • Blowed and blew, knowed and knew, teared and tore all once peacefully coexisted • Kids do this all the time when learning the language • I blowed out my candles • We fighted over the game

  7. Anyway… Anglo Saxon History

  8. Why the “Middle” Ages? • Early Renaissance historians, who loved the classical period (Ancient Greece, Rome), declared two periods in history, that of Ancient times and that of the "Dark Age". • By the early 15th century it was believed history had evolved from the Dark Age to a new period with its revival of all things classical. • Scholars began to write about a middle period between the Ancient and “Modern”, which became known as the Middle Age.

  9. Medieval? • From the latinmedium (middle) and aevum (age) • Refers to anything made, written or thought in that era

  10. General Dates • ca. 43  420 AD: Roman invasion and occupation of Britain • Initial Christianization (of the Celts) and burst of Latin influence • ca. 450 AD: Anglo Saxon Conquest • The English are German • 597 AD: St. Augustine arrives in Kent • More Latin, More Jesus • 871899 AD: Reign of King Alfred • The birth of Angleland

  11. The Britons or Celts • indigenous peoples inhabiting the island of Great Britain from the late Iron Age into the late Middle Ages • The first people on the island about who’s language we have definite knowledge • Worshipped gods and goddesses • gods were deities of particular skills • goddesses were associated with natural features, like rivers • Triplicities • Converted to Christianity under Roman rule

  12. Roman Occupation • Occupied British isles between AD 43 and 420. • Referred to their province as Britannia • Brought roads and highways, heating apparatus and water supply, the Latin language • Withdrew to deal with problems closer to home • Invading Barbarians

  13. Anglo-Saxon / Germanic Conquest • Celts had come to rely on Roman arms to keep invaders out • Ca. 449, Germanic tribes begin to invade England from the south (Anlges, Saxons, Jutes) • Celts also under siege by Picts and Scotts from the North • Cut deal with the Germanic people to keep the northern invaders out • Fine, you can stay, just don’t let anyone else come.

  14. Germanic tribes made permanent settlement. • Romans had come to rule, the Jutes to disposes. • Celts relegated to the mountainous region of modern Wales. • Angles  English • Roman towns were burned and abandoned

  15. Anglo-Saxon/Germanic Paganism • Polytheistic • Strong belief in Wyrd, fate • Essentially worshipped the same gods of the Norse • Woden = Odin • Donar = Thor

  16. Anglo-Saxon Civilization • Society organized around families and clans, Two classes • Eorls, a kind of hereditary aristocracy • Ceorls, simple freemen • Justice administered through fines, the wergild • Based on nature of crime, rank of injured party • Often a fine paid to the relatives of a murdered person to free the offender from further obligations or punishment • Guilt determined by ordeal (judicium Dei) or compurgation

  17. Seven kingdoms, Heptarchy, shifting alliances, eventually unified into Angle-land • Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex • Alfred the Great

  18. Conversion to Christianity • Constantine converted to Christianity following his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge 312 • Romans brought faith to Celtic England with mild success • Gregory the Great (pope 590-604) dispatched Augustine (later to gain sainthood) to convert the Saxon kings of south England.

  19. Augustine targeted the Kentish king, Ethelbert. His baptism inspired the conversion of his subjects. • Trend of subjects following a king's conversion

  20. Literature and Culture • epic poetry - long, narrative poem written in elevated style to celebrates deeds of a legendary hero or god • Like the Odyssey • epic hero - superhuman hero or god of an epic poem • Like Odysseus • Germanic heroic code • Warriors - strong, courageous and loyal • Kings - hospitable, generous, and with political skill

  21. Comitatus -Germanic code of loyalty • Thanes, or warriors, swore loyalty to their king, for whom they fought and whom they protected • the king was expected to be generous with gifts of treasure and land. • neither leaves the field of battle before the other

  22. The Mead Hall • An important cultural institution • Provided… • light and warmth • food and drink • singing and revelry • safe haven for warriors returning from battle in a world where neighboring people were always attacking

  23. Kenning - two-word metaphorical name for something • “sea-road” for ocean • “light-of-battle” for sword • “battle-sweat” for blood • Hrothgar “glory-spear” • Heorogar “army-spear” • Scops - composers and storytellers who traveled from court to court, the entertainers of Anglo-Saxon times

  24. Sutton Hoo • site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries of the 6th century and early 7th century • undisturbed ship burial • a wealth of artifacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance • Very important to early medieval historians because • sheds light on a period of English history which is on the margin between myth, legend and historical documentation

More Related