A Grammar of Middle Welsh

by D. Simon Evans

Book by Evans, D Simon

Genres: Language, Linguistics, Nonfiction

268 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Othy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this grammar at all. I've gone through a bunch of grammars, and this was probably the worst. It was nerve wracking to find anything when I needed it. The saving grace was the section on verbs, which at least had well set up paradigm charts. But hey, at least it's a Middle Welsh grammar. I don't see many of those, so the book gets points just for existing really.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big part of why I've wanted to study Welsh is to get back into the medieval literature and lore about King Arthur. D. Simon Evans's A Grammar of Middle Welsh seemed to offer a unique window into that literature. The book gives a very thorough examination of syntax, grammar, and morphology in medieval Welsh. The emphasis is on examples from extant literature, rather than an idealized presentation of what the language should have been. As a result, I found it a little hard to grapple with at times. Some elements of the language were easy to grasp, from my knowledge of modern Welsh. Others helped to explain oddities of the modern language that used to be standard in middle Welsh. But then there were some aspects that completely disappeared in the modern language that I wish Evans had explained in more detail.

I read the book straight through, but it perhaps works better as a reference. It is divided into numbered paragraphs, making it easy to look up a particular citation. After reading this book, I certainly don't feel like I have complete mastery over middle Welsh, but I at least feel prepared to try reading some of the literature.