Hogg Richard. An Introduction to Old English

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002. — 163 pages. — ISBN 0 7486 1329 3; ISBN 0 7486 1328 5.This accessible overview covers all the basic linguistic elements of Old English, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, syntax, word order, and vocabulary. Offering a unique study of Old English in context, it combines a wide variety of short texts with an up-to-date assessment of the forms of language that remain as the foundation of English today. Comparisons are drawn between Old and present-day English and also with other related languages such as Dutch, German, and French. Old English poetry and dialect variation are also discussed.This textbook is designed for students for whom this is the first experience of the language of the earliest period of English, namely the period from the time of the invasions of Britain by the English in the fifth century until the time of the Norman Conquest or shortly thereafter. If it is undoubtedly true that the first sighting of the English of that time comes as a shock to most beginning students, there can be no doubt that an understanding of that language is essential for a proper appreciation of how English has evolved over time. The approach taken here is somewhat different from that usually taken in introductory textbooks of Old English. Most such books offer a two-part solution, consisting, firstly, of a freestanding account of the grammar, and, secondly, a group of texts which the student is expected to read by reference to the relevant material in the grammar. The distinctive feature of this work is that I have attempted to present an integrated account, in which, for the most part, accounts of the linguistic history of Old English are immediately followed by relevant and exemplary texts. Given the scope of this work, this has meant that some traditional features have had to be omitted. For example, there are no complete texts, except in one special case, and of necessity the grammar sections are also not as full as those which some textbooks provide. On the other hand, alongside some features not usually present at this level, such as a discussion of dialectal material, the material presented here is intended to provide the amount of work which can sensibly be covered in one-term or one-semester courses of the kind common today.To readers
Origins and source
The basic elements
More nouns and adjectives
Verb forms
Strong verbs
Noun phrases and verb phrases
Clauses
Vocabulary
Variety
The future
Old English – present-day English glossary
Glossary of linguistic terms
Recommended reading