Week 1 Flashcards
What is Old English?
Germanic language, its speakers are the Anglo-Saxons.
Why study Old English?
- To learn why we spell words the way we do in PDE (foot/feet).
- Modern authors have been inspired by the language and literature
- Transferable skills; translation, dealing with new grammatical system.
How can the inhabitation of Britain be best described during this time?
Migration after migration.
First invasion
Bronze Age farmers, Beaker people (2500 BC)
Bronze Age monuments
Stonehenge, Kit’s Coty House in Aylesford
Second invasion
The Celtic tribes reach Britain around 600-500 BC. They spoke Celtic languages and left behind place names like London, Dover, Thames.
Who wrote in detail about the Celtic tribes?
Julius Caesar
Third invasion
The Romans, specifically Julius Caesar made attempts to invade in 55-54 BC, but without success. However, Claudius does succeed in 43 AD.
What did the Romans contribute to Britain?
They introduced stone buildings (public baths, buildings, robes, infrastructure). Also build Hadrian’s Wall and brought Christianity.
When was Britain a Roman province?
43-410 AD
What is the situation of the End of Roman Britain? And what mistake did the Britons make?
In c. 410, the Emperor calls the Romans back to Rome. Britain is left with an unfinished wall with the Pits still invading.
The Britons make a mistake by hiring the Angles and Saxons to fight for them, which is how they realise Britain is weak and attractive (4th invasion).
Fourth invasion
The Britons make a mistake by hiring the Angles and Saxons to fight for them, which is how they realise Britain is weak and attractive (4th invasion), hence they stay.
Cheddar man
Oldest remains found of the inhabiting in Britain (c. 8000 BC), first inhabitant.
Four major dialect in OE
- Kentish
- West-Saxon
- Northumbrian
- Mercian
When did the Anglo-Saxons arrive in Britain? Where did they come from? How long did it take for them to take over Britain?
449 AD, North Germania. It took them 250 years, 450-700.
Who was William Jones and what is Indo-European?
He was a jurist and orientalist, known for his recognition of the relationship among European and Indo-Aryan languages.
Linguistic family of all European languages.
A comparatist fact and one hypotheses regarding Watkins
Fact: some languages show similarities, suggesting a non-random connection, ruling out chance as explanations to borrowings.
Hypothesis: these languages must be the result of a descent from a common original.
What important development distinguishes the Germanic languages from other Indo-European languages?
Grimm’s Law, the consonant shift.
In the Indo-European language family tree, where does OE descent come from and what are its closest relatives?
Germanic, West-Germanic, Low German
Old Frisian and Old Saxon
Who inhabited Britain before the settlement of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes?
By speakers of Celtic languages (Scots in the north, various groups under Roman rule in the south).
What toponymic evidence do we have for the settlement of the Angles and Saxons?
These settlers named places after themselves. The Angles named East-Anglia after themselves. The Saxons did this with Sussex, Wessex.
Who was Bede? How did he feel about the Anglo-Saxon invasion?
Monk, historian, scholar (7-8th century), best known for his historical and theological works, which are vital to the history of the conversion to Christianity of the Anglo-Saxon tribes.
He was slightly biased, and descendant of them. He saw them not only as invaders, but also as settlers who contributed to the development of the Christian English society.
Why did the Angles, Saxons and Jutes come to Britain and why did they decide to stay?
Invited by Britain to help defend against external threats. However, after the successful Defense and after realising the fertility of the land, more of these Germanic tribes came to Britain. They stayed for the attractiveness of the country and the opportunity for settlement.
Who was Gildas? And how did he feel about the Anglo-Saxon settlers?
Monk and historian (6th century). He provides a historical and moral account of events during his time, focusing on the impact of the Anglo-Saxon invasions.
He had a more negative opinion, comparing them to animals in his works. Primarily because he was aware of the conflict/consequences that the invasions had caused.
