Old English: Difference between revisions

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'''Old English''' (sometimes called '''Anglo-Saxon''', though [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] disliked the term) was the ancestor language of modern English. It was also the mother language of characters [[Ælfwine]] and [[Eriol]].
'''Old English''' (sometimes called '''Anglo-Saxon''', though [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] disliked the term) was the ancestor language of modern English. It was also the mother language of characters [[Ælfwine]] and [[Eriol]].
Anglo-Saxon used [[Runes]] for their writing system.


==History==
==History==
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Tolkien wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the ''[[Earliest Annals of Valinor]]'' in ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]''; although they are commented and edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]], the translation is not given.
Tolkien wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the ''[[Earliest Annals of Valinor]]'' in ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]''; although they are commented and edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]], the translation is not given.
Anglo-Saxon runes were used on the [[Thrór's Map]] in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' to display the [[Cirth]] as used by the [[Dwarves]].


Tolkien devised a [[Tengwar]] mode for Old English, for texts written by [[Edwin Lowdham]] in ''[[The Strange Case of Arundel Lowdham]]'' ([http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS50 DTS50] and [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS51 DTS51]).
Tolkien devised a [[Tengwar]] mode for Old English, for texts written by [[Edwin Lowdham]] in ''[[The Strange Case of Arundel Lowdham]]'' ([http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS50 DTS50] and [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS51 DTS51]).

Revision as of 22:40, 30 January 2009

Old English (sometimes called Anglo-Saxon, though Tolkien disliked the term) was the ancestor language of modern English. It was also the mother language of characters Ælfwine and Eriol.

Anglo-Saxon used Runes for their writing system.

History

Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at at Pembroke College from 1925 to 1945. He was strongly influenced by Old English literature such as Beowulf and favoured especially the Mercian dialect.

Tolkien wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the Earliest Annals of Valinor in The Shaping of Middle-earth; although they are commented and edited by Christopher Tolkien, the translation is not given.

Anglo-Saxon runes were used on the Thrór's Map in The Hobbit to display the Cirth as used by the Dwarves.

Tolkien devised a Tengwar mode for Old English, for texts written by Edwin Lowdham in The Strange Case of Arundel Lowdham (DTS50 and DTS51).

Rohirric

For Lord of the Rings, Tolkien used several Anglo-Saxon names and words, which represented Rohirric, the language of the Rohirrim. This simulated the archaic sense the Hobbits (who spoke Hobbitish Westron) felt with the Rohirrim.

However the relation of Old English and English is not the same as with Rohirric and Westron, since the latter descends from Adûnaic, not Rohirric.

References