Task: Find out who or what “Beowulf” is

• Find the text and a translation
• Figure out the vocabulary and the grammar of two or
  three lines, by comparing the text with the translation

"Beowulf" is the oldest surviving epic in British literature which describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the 6th century.

Com þa to recede rinc siðian,
dreamum bedæled. Duru sona onarn,
fyrbendum fæst, syþðan he hire folmum
æthran;

Came to the building warrior traveling,
dram deprived. Door soon pushed back,
forged bar fast, since his hand touched it;

==>
• Com = came
• þa = then
• dreamum = dream (--> Latin ending)
• duru = door
• sona = soon

A typical verbs' ending seems to be -on/-(a)n (syþðan, onarn)

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Homework:

Development of English

What are the most important stages?

• The "start" of English language by the Celts; Latin
• 5th-11th century: Old English period; Viking influence on the language
• 11th-15th century: Middle English period; influence by Norman French, Latin, Greek, French
• Modern English; in the 17th century division into many branches like American English, Canadian English, etc. due to expansions; language influenced by Spanish, American Indian etc.

What is the significance of Celtic/Latin?

Celtic and Latin had a lot of influence on English, several words and toponyms from these two languages has been taken over (--> examples of borrowing from Latin see here) and enriched the language.

English today:

What are the main English dialects in Britain?

• Northern English (e.g. Geordie -> Northumberland, Cumbrian)
• East Midlands English ( e.g. in Derbyshire)
• West Midlands English (e.g. Brummie -> Birmingham)
• East Anglian English (e.g. Norfolk/Suffolk dialect)
• South East England (e.g. Cockney/London)
• West Country dialects (e.g. in Cornwall)
• Scottish English + Glaswegian
• Welsh English + Pembrokshire dialect

Where is English spoken today as a native language?

• Australia, New Zealand
• Canada
• USA
• UK
• some of the African countries
• some Caribbean countries