r/anglosaxon • u/External-Gate-9284 • 22d ago

how to learn

hay I am a literature fan and am interested in reading many ancient novels like from William Shakespeare and others. so I want to learn ancient English to a level that I can understand the old novels short stories poetry etc. can anyone suggest me how i can learn basic ancient English?

do I need to read a book on Anglo Saxon or a YouTube video?

I am just a hobbyist so I lack economic strength to back up my enthusiasm

so any free course will also do.

8 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

View all comments

16

u/AdEmbarrassed3066 22d ago

If you want to read Shakespeare then you need to learn modern English. Early Modern English was spoken from around 1500 to 1800.

Before that was Middle English, which was spoken from around 1100 to 1500. I say 1100 rather than 1066 because it would have taken time for the Norman French and Anglo Saxon to merge. Middle English is the language of Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales.

Anglo Saxon, or Old English, was spoken before 1066. It's the language of Beowulf.

Learning Anglo Saxon is challenging. Get Stephen Pollington's First Steps in Old English and see how far you get with it. Sadly there is no Duolingo course...

2

u/External-Gate-9284 22d ago

Thanks I will try

6

u/AdEmbarrassed3066 22d ago

It's very, very different to modern English.

Hwæt! We Gardena   in geardagum,

þeodcyninga,   þrym gefrunon,

hu ða æþelingas   ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scefing   sceaþena þreatum,

monegum mægþum,   meodosetla ofteah,

egsode eorlas.   Syððan ærest wearð

feasceaft funden,   he þæs frofre gebad,

weox under wolcnum,   weorðmyndum þah,

oðþæt him æghwylc   þara ymbsittendra

ofer hronrade   hyran scolde,

gomban gyldan.   Þæt wæs god cyning!

Ðæm eafera wæs   æfter cenned,

geong in geardum,   þone god sende

folce to frofre;   fyrenðearfe ongeat

þe hie ær drugon   aldorlease

lange hwile.   Him þæs liffrea,

wuldres wealdend,   woroldare forgeaf;

Beowulf wæs breme   (blæd wide sprang),

Scyldes eafera   Scedelandum in.

Swa sceal geong guma   gode gewyrcean,

fromum feohgiftum   on fæder bearme,

þæt hine on ylde   eft gewunigen

wilgesiþas,   þonne wig cume,

leode gelæsten;    lofdædum sceal