Old English Discussion

[JackFrost]

If English hadn't taken the Anglo-French prefix "grand" for grandparents, how Modern English would've called our grandparents?

The Wiki said...

Ealdefæder/-mōdor (ealde = old)
Ieldrafæder/-mōdor (ieldra = elder)

So...

Oldfather/-mother
Elderfather/-mother

I wonder how "parents" is said in Old English.

The way they call great-(great)-grandparents is different too.

þridda fæder (third father)
fēowerða fæder (fourth father)

So...

Third father
Fourth father

Just curious... What do you think?

[KingHarvest]

Possibly the cognates of German Großvater and Großmutter, so greatfather and greatmother? They would also be a "translation" of grandfather and grandmother.

[sa wulfs]

It was "ealdfæder", "ealdmodor". "Eald-ealdfæder" is also attested for "great-grandfather". I haven't found the "ealde-" or "ieldra-" forms in the Bosworth-Toller, and if by Wiki you actually mean Wikipedia I wouldn't rule out an ad hoc translation by some random guy.

"Great" wasn't quite a common word as it is now, but had the hypothetical "oldfather", "oldmother" forms fallen out of use, it's possible that "greatfather" and "greatmother" would have been used at a later time.

[Lexicon]

I've decided to finally put some concerted effort into learning Old English. Can any of you guys recommend some good online resources or websites?

[CKyle22]

I think I have some textbooks on my laptop, I'll look for you.

Also, my university has an Old English dictionary and it uses Ordboc

[Lexicon]

Thanks a lot!

I'm looking forward to checking them out.

[CKyle22]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/37ehz1

There you go. I also have one for Middle English as well. This is a full textbook. Enjoy.

And I have more regarding English phonology and the like, PM me if you want 'em.

[Sean of the Dead]

Does anyone know how good the Old and Middle English versions of The Little Prince are? I'd like to buy both, but don't want to waste my money if they aren't very good translations.

[sa wulfs]

That Old English dedication looks fine. I'd say the translator knows his stuff.

[MikDonsen]

Arguing about whichs words they used is silly. Old English wasn't one language. One region would call it wordbook, another wordlist, and meaning list. So to say in it's 600 year diverse history that there's any correct way to label something is silly. The same with old father elder father great father fatherfather and so on.

[sa wulfs]

I think it's assumed that, where nothing more specific is said, West Saxon is meant. Early West Saxon can be described as a standard language without too big a stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, we can either rely on the attested vocabulary, or give up studying Old English altogether.

[Karavinka]

Somehow I just happened to get too much surplus free time at hand, and didn't know how better spend it, I ended up doing something like this: following is a rough attempt to translate the opening lines of Beowulf into unrhymed Classical Chinese. Enjoy.

嗚呼
吾等矛丹 上古春秋
民王之事 問是明名
何諸君子 行以德矣

盾子常時 於狄人衆
又夷而蠻 禦蜜酒堂
皆狄君怖 幼以貧賤
孤之以後 受之報償
天雲下長 思明名矣
諸狄夷君 環於其城
鯨路中上 皆聽其命
入朝租貢 善王已矣!

Hwæt! Wē Gār‐Dena   in geār‐dagum
þēod‐cyninga   þrym gefrūnon,
hū þā æðelingas   ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing   sceaðena þrēatum,
monegum mǣgðum   meodo‐setla oftēah.
Egsode eorl,   syððan ǣrest wearð
fēa‐sceaft funden:   hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum,   weorð‐myndum ðāh,
oð þæt him ǣghwylc   þāra ymb‐sittendra
ofer hron‐rāde   hȳran scolde,
gomban gyldan:   þæt wæs gōd cyning!

[sa wulfs]

I can't really comment on that since I'm surprised I even have proper Chinese fonts installed, but I didn't want that post to be ignored like all things Old English around here, so let me say it anyway: good job! We need more people translating into and from Old English.

[johnH]

‹·_·›·– willt aking old english take time if not I’m for the challange if yes, then I’m setting priorities on the harder chalanges.[see profile/future sig]

[YngNghymru]

What? Of course it'll take time, it's as alien to modern English as German is and probably even slightly more difficult to learn.

[sa wulfs]

Old English is fairly easy... for a medieval Germanic language. It'll take time. But I don't think picking languages just because they're easy is a proper approach.

[ILuvEire]

Are chalanges related to phalanges?

[KingHarvest]

The chalanx is a formidable military outfit.

[johnH]

Miscommunication, . I’d like to deffinetly learn old english then, but I’m already supposed to be learning Icelandic, Finnish, Inuktitut. However to seam hold for today so I can try in the interim. , I just want to sound really arcane and stuff why else would one want to speak old English.

[Dunbots]

Miscommunication, . I’d like to deffinetly learn old english then, but I’m already supposed to be learning Icelandic, Finnish, Inuktitut. However to seam hold for today so I can try in the interim. , I just want to sound really arcane and stuff why else would one want to speak old English.

No. Just no.