What Language is this?

[Raskolnikov]

Hello everyone, I'm new here.

Let's see who can figure out what this language is:

Eft he axode, hu ðære ðeode nama wære þe hi of comon. Him wæs geandwyrd, þæt hi Angle genemnode wæron. þa cwæð he, "Rihtlice hi sind Angle gehatene, for ðan ðe hi engla wlite habbað, and swilcum gedafenað þæt hi on heofonum engla geferan beon."

Have fun with it.

[Cãlin]

That looks like Old English to me...

[flamenco]

With google, I can confirm that it is old english...

[Sisyphe]

I confirm it is old english. It belongs to Aelfric's Homily on the St Gregory the great (11th century) :

http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm

[Raskolnikov]

Isn't it amazing how much English has changed.

[Sisyphe]

Isn't it amazing how much English has changed.

Phoneticly, no more than any other tongue whatsoever. You can compare latin "canem" -> french "chien" (dog), or "manducare" -> mangier (Old French) and now "manger" (eat), etc.

Old english seems to be particular, because :

1. The writing is deeply different.
2. The grammar had been very modified
3. A lot of latin words (actually : french words) had been appended after William the Conqueror's reign.

Very good explanations are given on the website I notified.

NB : ð = th like "the ; þ = th like "thin"


Eft = again (that word has disappeared)

he axode = he asked (ks-> sk)

hu = how

ðære = there

ðeode = "people" (that word has also disappeared, but you find it in "deutsch" ("german" in german = THE people) or "dutch").

nama wære = name were

þe = "the" used as relative pronoun, like in german "der"

hi = old plural of "he", now "they"

of comon = came from (-n = 3d plural person, like in german)

Him = to him

wæs ge-andwyrd = was answered (ge- is the mark for past participle, like in german ; cf. answer/andwyrd/antwort (germ.)

þæt = that

hi Angle ge-nemnode wæron = they were Angle "nammed"

þa = then

cwæð he = he said (cwæð is the past participle of "cweðan", in middle-english "to quethe" = to say)

Rihtlice = rightely

hi sind = they are ("sind" is still in german, "are" is a scandinavian form)

Angle gehatene = called Angle (hâtan, cf. german "heissen")

for ðan = for that

ðe hi = "the + they"

habbað = have (cf. german "haben")

engla wlite = angel's beauty

gedafenað = it is fitting

swilcum = <for> such one (swilc > such), such people

þæt hi = that they

on heofonum = in heaven (-um is a casual mark, heofon = heaven)

engla geferan = angel's companions ("feran" is "to travel", like in german "fahren", geferan is "the one who travel with" ; "faran" in modern english is "fare" (how is he faring = in french we said "comment ça va pour lui" "how it is going for him").

beon = be, -on is infinitive mark (german -en)

*

PS : actually, I do not speak modern english, sorry for the mistakes

[Raskolnikov]

That is really interesting stuff.

[Sisyphe]

That is really interesting stuff.