Assignment #2/Old English

go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_english

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

read: article pages

answer: the following questions

1. When was Old English spoken?

- Old English was sponken between the mid-5 th century and the mid- 12th century.


2. Name 4 language groups which influenced the development of Old English.


1- Celtic language


2- vikings

3- norman invasion

4-danelaw.


3. In the Phonology section, name 5 phonetical differences between Old English & Modern English.

- fricative(labiodental)= f (v)

-fricative(dental) = θ (ð)

-fricative(alveolar)= s (Z)

-affricative(postalveolar)= tʃ (dʒ)

-fricative(palatal) = (ç)


4. Are there any similarites between Old English and Modern English? Name them.


- Old english should not be regarded as a single monolithic entity just as modern english is also not monolithic

5. In the Orthography section, enlarge the picture of the runic alphabet. How many letters (runes) are there in this alphabet?

- There are 34 letters in this alphabet.


6. Which epic poem was originally written in Old English?

- Beowulf was originally written in Old English.


7. In the See Also section, click on: Beowulf. Appoximately when was Beowulf written?


- Beowulf was approximately written between the 8th to the 11th century.

8. Even though Beowulf was written in England, the story takes place in which countries?


- The story takes place in what is now Denmark and Sweden.

9. In the poem, which 3 antagonists does Beowulf battle or fight against?

- The antagonists are Grendel, a Dragon, Grendel's mother.


10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the story?

- Beowulf is fatally wounded in the final battle, and after his death he is buried in a barrow in Geatland by his retainers.

11. Who was the author of Beowulf?


- It was written by an anonymous author.

12. What were the titles and the dates of the two film versions of Beowulf?


- Beowulf has been adapted a number of times for other novels, theater, and cinema, including the 1999 film "Beowulf", the 2005 film "Beowulf and Grendel" and the 2007 animated film "Beowulf".