Old English

Lore & Background

Old English literacy developed after the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England in the late 7th century. The oldest surviving work is Cædmon's Hymn, which was composed between 658 and 680 but not written down until the early 8th century. There is a limited corpus of runic inscriptions from the 5th to 7th centuries, but the oldest coherent runic texts, notably the inscriptions on the Franks Casket, date to the early 8th century. The Old English Latin alphabet was introduced in the 7th century. With the unification of several of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms by Alfred the Great in the later 9th century, the language of government and literature became standardised around the West Saxon dialect (Early West Saxon). Alfred advocated education in English alongside Latin, and had many works translated into the English language; some of them, such as Pope Gregory I's treatise Pastoral Care, appear to have been translated by Alfred himself. A later literary standard, dating from the late 10th century, arose under the influence of Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester, and was followed by such writers as the prolific Ælfric of Eynsham. This form is known as the 'Winchester standard', or more commonly as Late West Saxon, and is considered to represent the 'classical' form of Old English. It retained its position of prestige until the time of the Norman Conquest, after which English ceased for a time to be of importance as a literary language.

Reader's Guide

Old English is significant as the earliest recorded stage of the English language, spanning roughly 700 years from the Anglo-Saxon settlement in the 5th century to after the Norman Conquest. It is a West Germanic language, with its closest relatives being Old Frisian and Old Saxon, and is largely incomprehensible to modern speakers without study. Its grammar featured many inflectional endings and freer word order. The period is subdivided into Prehistoric Old English (c. 450–650), Early Old English (c. 650–900), and Late Old English (c. 900–1150). Perhaps around 85% of Old English words are no longer in use, but those that survived are the basic elements of Modern English vocabulary. The four main dialects of Old English were Mercian, Northumbrian, Kentish, and West Saxon. Mercian and Northumbrian are together referred to as Anglian. The Kentish region, settled by the Jutes from Jutland, has the scantest literary remains. The West Saxon dialect (then in the form now known as Early West Saxon) became standardised as the language of government after Alfred's unification. The later literary standard known as Late West Saxon, although centred in the same region, appears not to have been directly descended from Alfred's Early West Saxon. The Winchester standard of Late West Saxon is considered the classical form of Old English and retained prestige until the Norman Conquest, after which English ceased for a time to be a major literary language.

Did You Know?

• The name 'English' derives from 'Englisċ', meaning 'pertaining to the Angles', one of the Germanic tribes who settled in Britain in the 5th century.
• The oldest surviving work of Old English literature is Cædmon's Hymn, composed between 658 and 680 but not written down until the early 8th century.
• Old English had four main dialects: Kentish, Mercian, Northumbrian, and West Saxon, with Mercian and Northumbrian together called Anglian.
• The Old English Latin alphabet was introduced in the 7th century, replacing the earlier runic system for most writing.
• Perhaps around 85% of Old English words are no longer in use, but those that survived are the basic elements of Modern English vocabulary.