An Old English Grammar

by Randolph Quirk, C.L. Wrenn

Once again available in paperback, Quirk and Wrenn's Old English Grammar is a convenient reference tool to complement readings in Old English. Appropriate for basic or advanced study of Old English language and literature, this brief modern grammar covers orthography, pronunciation, inflection, syntax, word formation, and phonology. The authors provide a clear overview of Late West Saxon, with notes that open up the complexities of the language for those who wish to pursue them. The supplemental bibliography added to this edition by Susan Deskis reflects the most relevant recent contributions to the study of Old English.

Genres: Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Anglo Saxon, Linguistics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Quirk was born at Lambfell, in Michael on the Isle of Man, the son of Thomas and Amy Randolph Quirk. He attended King William's College on the Isle of Man and then went to University College London to read English under Albert Hugh Smith. His studies began in 1939 but were interrupted by the war in 1940, to be completed from 1945 to 1947. He was awarded MA, PhD, and D.Lit and became a lecturer in English at UCL from 1947 to 1954. He was also a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow, at Yale and Michigan from 1951 to 1952. In 1954 he became Reader at the University of Durham, becoming Professor there in 1958. He returned to UCL as Professor in 1960 and in 1968 succeeded Smith as Quain Professor, a post he held until 1981.
Quirk lectured and taught seminars at University College, London, in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and in History of the English Language. These two disciplines were part of a ten-discipline set of Final examinations in the undergraduate syllabus. At that time, Old and Middle English, along with History of the English Language, were all compulsory subjects. He also worked closely with A.C. Gimson and J.D. O'Connor of the Phonetics Department, sitting in as an examiner for Phonetics oral examinations on occasion.

Reviews

[Michael Vawser]

USD17.63 on Biblio.com

[Nick Black]

I found this for $1.00 in Junkman Daughter's "used book section", a few shelves of trash in the bong section(?) including several battered Beverly Cleary paperbacks. They wanted $25.00 for a paperback set of the Chronicles of Narnia, which I believe can be had for the price of shipping by calling 1-800-CSLEWIS, but of course no one does that because EVERYONE HAS READ THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.

As an aside, the woman running said bong section/used book shelves did not know the meaning of "calibre". Upon explaining that I needed MORE DIAMETER FOR GANGA NO HABLA ENGLES? she replied, "this isn't my real job; I work in a tattoo parlor." This is worth reflecting on for a moment.

Either way, bad ass! What a snag.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for reference . . . I wouldn't want to learn from it alone, though . . . .