Old English: A Linguistic Introduction

Cambridge Introductions to the English Language

by Jeremy J. Smith

Old English provides a clear linguistic introduction to English between the 5th century and the Norman invasion in 1066. Tailored to suit the needs of individual course modules, it assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and presents the basic facts in a straightforward manner, making it the ideal beginners' text. Students are guided step-by-step through the main characteristics and developments of English during that period, aided by concise chapter summaries, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive glossary. Each chapter is accompanied by an engaging set of exercises and discussion questions based on authentic Anglo-Saxon texts, encouraging students to consolidate their learning, and providing essential self-study material. The book is accompanied by a companion website, featuring solutions to the exercises and useful additional resources. Providing essential knowledge and skills for those embarking on the study of Old English, it is set to become the leading introduction to the subject.

Genres: Linguistics

212 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2009

Reviews

[David Scarratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always interested to read language introductions written from the perspective of modern linguistics. Such introductions are relatively rare, however, especially for "dead" languages, so it was a pleasure to find that this introduction to Old English is solidly founded in the contemporary approach to language. In my view it gains by this a surprising clarity and coverage for such a brief overview of Old English. Perhaps this is more helpful if you have a background in linguistics, as I do; but I am inclined to think it is more broadly useful.



That the book covers syntax -- and means by that the structure and arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses, rather than simply accidence -- already puts it streets ahead of more philologically grounded overviews that I own. (I confess, though, that I do not own any of the more recent introductions to Old English that are showing up in the recommendations offered based on the book I'm currently reviewing, so I can't really compare them.)



My only real quibble is that paradigms are not very clearly formatted. While I have some sympathy with the choice of lists over tables, I sometimes found that unnecessary effort was required to work out what was being displayed. But, really, a great book!

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the language and its connection with other germanic languages—especially Gothic, which is used for a lot of comparative examples. Very dense, and I plan on returning to parts to really study it. The selection of texts has good commentary, especially the parts about runes, which I had not seen before. But it is worth noting that this is not a textbook to learn the language—it does not fully cover morphology and syntax; however, it does provide the main characteristics of these two topics.

It also has inspired me to pick up a full grammar to study, and return to the other books I have that have a fuller treatment of the grammar and longer selections of texts.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most publications from Cambridge University Press titled "X: a Linguistic Introduction" (see e.g. previous volumes on Maori, Chinese, German, Romani, etc.) allow a reader with an extensive background in linguistics to quickly get up to speed with the grammar and sociolinguistics of the given language. Jeremy J. Smith's OLD ENGLISH: A Linguistic Introduction is very different.

Smith's overview has been conceived mainly for an undergraduate readership and takes the form of a textbook, complete with "questions for discussion". The first three chapters or so consist of a presentation of the very basics for linguistics. Only well into the book does Smith start describing the complex phonology and morphology of Old English, and just as soon as he gets started it's all over: the meat of the book is barely over a hundred pages. An appendix on some sample texts (often just a description of where and when it was written, not the actual text itself), an Old English-Present Day English vocabulary and a Glossary of Key Terms take up nearly 40% of the book!

I really cannot recommend this for any readers with training in linguistics. Roger Lass's Old English: A Historical Linguistic Companion is what you should go to instead. But even for readers inexperienced in the formal study of language, Smith's book is a failure. There is a drastic leap between the exceedingly friendly and patient early chapters and the dry presentation and specialist jargon of the later part of the book, and I believe most laymen would feel they've gone in well over their heads.