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Old English language by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 09 Feb, 2012 21:56
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Here is a sample of what the English language used to look like. This poem was written by a man named Caedmon in the year 731. Notice that some of the words survived and are still used today.
"Nu sculon herigean / heofonrices weard,
meotodes meahte / and his modgeþanc,
weorc wuldorfæder, / swa he wundra gehwæs,
... ece drihten, / or onstealde.
He ærest sceop / eorðan bearnum
heofon to hrofe, / halig scyppend;
þa middangeard / moncynnes weard,
ece drihten, / æfter teode
firum foldan, / frea ælmihtig."
Translated into modern English:
"Now we must praise / heaven-kingdom's Guardian
the Measurer's might / and his mind-plans,
the work of the Glory-Father, / when he of wonders of every one,
eternal Lord, / the beginning established.
He first created / for men's sons
heaven as a roof, / holy Creator;
then middle-earth / mankind's Guardian,
eternal Lord, / afterwards made --
for men earth, / Master almighty."
Interesting stuff, IMO. -
#1 by LAGLE on 09 Feb, 2012 23:56
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imagine speaking that ^)^
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#2 by mrzed on 10 Feb, 2012 05:01
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I don't understand either the old or the new rendering of the script.
Yes, language changes over time and thus the ongoing need for translations. -
#3 by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 10 Feb, 2012 10:15
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The reason it is a bit difficult to read even in modern English is because the old English writers didn't worry about word order in sentences. Also, they used a lot of alliteration and rarely said someone's name without a short description of them before or after.
Here's what it would look like if I wrote it out as a paragraph:
"Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard, meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc, weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs, ece drihten, or onstealde. He ærest sceop eorðan bearnum heofon to hrofe, halig scyppend; þa middangeard moncynnes weard, ece drihten, æfter teode, firum foldan, frea ælmihtig."
And the modern English:
"Now we must praise heaven-kingdom's Guardian, the Measurer's might and his mind-plans, the work of the Glory-Father, when he of wonders of every one, eternal Lord, the beginning established. He first created for men's sons heaven as a roof, holy Creator; then middle-earth, mankind's Guardian, eternal Lord, afterwards made -- for men earth, Master almighty."
If I were to rewrite this in my own words to make it a bit easier to understand, I would say: “Now we must praise heaven-kingdom’s Guardian, His might and His plans, the work of the Glory-Father, when He who is of wonders of all the people, the eternal Lord, established the beginning. He first created heaven as a roof for the sons of men, holy Creator; then the earth we live on today, He created, mankind’s Guardian and eternal Lord. All things were made by Him, Master almighty.”
It’s a poem about the creation of the world.
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#4 by Mike on 10 Feb, 2012 14:27
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I find current english confusing. When reading older writings like the old testament Bible I understand it better than the modern version. In Russian the order of words is different. Like "Ya tebya looblu" is I you love and lots of other confusing ones. Often times when I am talking I will my words jumbled up or I don't use them in the proper form. Spelling is the worst, so many silent letters and words with many meanings. The thing that gets me about current english is that it isn't phonetic so the words are not spelled like they sound.
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#5 by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 10 Feb, 2012 14:57
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I have always been fascinated by how languages change over time. I do think that text messaging and even the internet are ruining language, especially peoples' abilities to express themselves orally. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.
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#6 by mrzed on 10 Feb, 2012 16:34
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I find current english confusing. When reading older writings like the old testament Bible I understand it better than the modern version. In Russian the order of words is different. Like "Ya tebya looblu" is I you love and lots of other confusing ones. Often times when I am talking I will my words jumbled up or I don't use them in the proper form. Spelling is the worst, so many silent letters and words with many meanings. The thing that gets me about current english is that it isn't phonetic so the words are not spelled like they sound.
English draws from so many languages and uses THEIR spellings. The spelling would make sense in the original language context. So for English, guess you have to know the spelling rules for many languages, then be able to identify which language this word comes from, etc. etc. Fun.
My wife works at a museum that traces the history of the written language and has lots of facts about many languages in their displays. -
#7 by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 10 Feb, 2012 16:52
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That's one of the reasons why English is so hard to learn.
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#8 by Slynito on 10 Feb, 2012 19:22
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I tell my students that language is merely noise.
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#9 by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 11 Feb, 2012 10:37
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Organized noise, yes.
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#10 by Slynito on 11 Feb, 2012 13:58
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#11 by Mr Jules on 12 Feb, 2012 08:40
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That's one of the reasons why English is so hard to learn.
When I go to the States, think my american pals find my British English accent harder to follow, than me understanding them.
Still, always have a good time.
Mr Jules (of London) -
#12 by Slynito on 12 Feb, 2012 08:48
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I find it sometimes hard to understand the hosts on TV golf matches...it's the Aussie and Irish accents of some of them.
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#13 by AgeTwentyTwoBaldy on 12 Feb, 2012 10:33
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That's one of the reasons why English is so hard to learn.
When I go to the States, think my american pals find my British English accent harder to follow, than me understanding them.
Still, always have a good time.
Mr Jules (of London)
I was talking more about people who are learning English as a second language. One of the reasons they find it so difficult is that English is basically a conglomerate of a bunch of other languages. -
#14 by Mr Jules on 12 Feb, 2012 17:37
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That's one of the reasons why English is so hard to learn.
When I go to the States, think my american pals find my British English accent harder to follow, than me understanding them.
Still, always have a good time.
Mr Jules (of London)
I have no idea how people learn English as a foreign language: inconsistent spelling, some many irregularities and several different words all meaning the same thing. It must be hard work....
I was talking more about people who are learning English as a second language. One of the reasons they find it so difficult is that English is basically a conglomerate of a bunch of other languages.