An Introduction to Old English / Edition 1

by Richard Hogg, Arvind Sharma

Overview

This accessible overview covers all the basic linguistic elements of Old English, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, syntax, word order, and vocabulary. Offering a unique study of Old English in context, it combines a wide variety of short texts with an up-to-date assessment of the forms of language that remain as the foundation of English today. Comparisons are drawn between Old and present-day English and also with other related languages such as Dutch, German, and French. Old English poetry and dialect variation are also discussed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195219487
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/20/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 5.56(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Richard Hogg was formerly Smith Professor of English Language and Medieval Literature at the University of Manchester.

Rhona Alcorn is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and CEO of Scots Language Dictionaries Ltd. She is also Deputy Director of the Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics. She was the first receipient of the Richard M. Hogg Prize, awarded annually by the International Society for the Linguistics of English since 2008.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1: Origins and Sources; 2. The Basic Elements; 3. More Nouns and Adjectives; 4. Verb Forms; 5. Strong Verbs; 6. Noun Phrases and Verb Phrases; 7. Clauses; 8. Vocabulary; 9. Variety; 10. The Future; Recommended Reading; References; Glossary; Old English Glossary.

Editorial Reviews

The revised edition of this fine textbook retains all the excellent features of the original. Hogg's voice can still be heard on every page, speaking directly to the reader and guiding him or her expertly through the intricacies of the earliest stages of our language.

Carole Hough

The new edition represents some of Richard Hogg’s last work, and usefully updates earlier editions by incorporating recent research on OE dialect variation, and the historical and social context in which OE functioned. It remains a comprehensive introduction to OE, suitable for undergraduate students who have mastered basic phonological, morphological, and syntactic concepts. It is more comprehensive than traditional grammars of OE, covering issues of variation in OE (chapter 9), and OE’s relationship to later periods of English (chapter 10), as well as providing an accessible and logically structured outline of the grammar of the language. It is also far more accessible than traditional OE grammars. The text has a very student-friendly, direct, and explanatory style throughout, and successfully avoids being either too erudite or too patronizing. Instead, it makes OE interesting by setting it in its historical and linguistic context, and includes well-designed exercises, which can be used both for independent as well as class-directed study.

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