Episode 3: The Things We Do and Did

In this, the last installment of the "intro" segment we go over the basics of the Old English verbs forms, and we listen to an actual excerpt of an Old English text.

Check out this episode!

In case you missed it, here is the Intro Presentation one last time.

Ælfric's Colloquy Excerpt

Hwæt seġst þū, scēaphierde? Hæfst þū ǣniġ ġedeorf?

Ġiese lēof, iċ hæbbe miċel ġedeorf! On ǣrnemergen iċ drīfe mīn scēap tō lǣswe. Siþþan stande iċ ofer hīe mid hundum, þȳ lǣs þe wulfas hīe forswelgen. Þonne lǣde iċ hīe on ǣfen onġēan tō hira locum. Iċ hīe melce tuwa on dæġe. Iċ macie buteran and ċīese. And iċ eom mīnum hlāforde ġetrīewe.

Ēalā oxanhierde, hwæt dēst þū?

Lā lēof, iċ swince þearle! Þonne se ierþling þā oxan onġeocaþ, þonne lǣde iċ hīe tō lǣswe; and ealle niht iċ stande ofer hīe waciende for þēofum; and þæs on morgenne iċ hīe betǣċe eft þǣm ierþlinge, wel ġefylde and ġewæterode.

Yay! Verb conjugation tables!

Vocabulary

Please, please, please try a spaced repetition software such as Anki or Memrise, they really do make memorization much easier, and it saves you a lot of time not going over already learned cards before you really need to.
I have created an Anki deck that goes with this podcast and will be updated whenever we add to our vocabulary list for the show. You can find it here.

Ac - but, however

And - and

Āsettan - to set up, set

Ǣniġ - any
Ǣr - before, previously
Se cræft - trade or skill

Cuman - to come

Cunnan - to know how to,

Se cyning - king

Se dæġ - day

Dōn - to do, make or take

Drīfan - to drive

Sēo ēa - river

Ēac - also

Ēalā - hello, alas

Eall - all, every

Fōn - to catch or acquire

Gān - to go or walk

Ġēa - yes, yeah

Þæt ġedeorf - toil, hardship

Se ġefēra - companion, comrade

Ġiese - yes (emphatic)

Habban - to have or hold

Hāl - whole, unhurt

Se hām - home

Hwæt - what

Hwelċ - which

Sēo hwīl - time, while, sometimes

Hīeran - to obey, harken to, hear

Hū - how

Se hund - hound, dog

Libban - to live

Lā - lo! oh!

Lēof - love, beloved

Mid - with

Miċel - large, many, big

Se munuc - munk

Nese - no (adamant)

Niht - night

Ofer - over

Oþ - up to, until

Oþþe - or

Sēo sæ - sea

Sculan - to have to, must, or ought to

Secgan - to say or tell
Siþþan - afterwards, later
Standan - to stand
Stearc - stark
Sēo stōw - place
Sum - some, a certain
Swincan - to labor, toil, or perform
Swā - so, thus
Swīþe - very, exceedingly
Weorpan - to throw or cast
Willan - to wish, want, or desire
Wrītan - to write, inscribe
Ymb - concerning, with regard to
Þus - thus
Sēo ċeaster - city, town, village

I know it seems like a long list of vocal words, but if you take another look you'll see that quite a few are very familiar. This list correspond to words tagged with "3" in the anki deck provided above.

Episode 2: Who We Are and What We Do

In this second part of the "Intro" segment, we go over some different regions and ethnicities in Old English, as well as a few occupations. We also take a look at pronouns in Old English.

Check out this episode!

And here's the Intro Presentation again.

Our "conversation with Alfred"

Me

Alfred

“wes þū hāl”

“wes hāl”

“hū hātest þū?”

“Iċ hātte Alfred, and þū?”

“Iċ hātte Bob. Hū gǣþ?”

“Iċ eom gōd, and þū?”

“Iċ eom gōd eac, þancie þē.”

“Þū eart Englisc, ac iċ neom. Iċ eom of ofer þære sǣ. Iċ eom wealh.”

This next part is taken from the text in First Steps in Anglo Saxon by Henry Sweet.

“Hwelċne cræft canst þū?”

“Iċ eom hunta”

“Hwæs hunta eart þū?” 

“Iċ eom þæs cyninges hunta”

“Hwelċne cræft canst þū?”

“Iċ eom fiscere.”

“Hwæt beġietst þū of þīnum cræfte?” 

“Bīleofan iċ mē beġiete, and scrūd, and feoh.” 

“Hū ġefēhst þū þā fiscas?”

“Iċ gā on mīnne bāt, and rōwe ūt on þā ēa, and weorpe mīn nett on þā ēa.”

My summary in Old English (it's not poetry)

Ælfric wæs Englisc munuc, and hē wrāt þæt “colloquy”. In ūre colloquy, wē spræcon mid Alfred. Wē sæġdedon ēalā. Þā, hē spræce meċ, and him spræc iċ. Hē is hunta, se hunta þone cyninges. Iċ sæġdede þæt iċ wæs fiscere.

Some Locations Around the World (known at the time)

Region Name            People                    Adjective

Englaland                                   Angelcynn                            Englisc

Ēast Angla Rīċe 

Miercna Rīċe 

Norþymbra Rīċe 

Westseaxna Rīċe                       Westseaxe

Ēast Seaxna Rīċe                      Ēastseaxe

Cantaware Rīċe 

Sūþseaxna Rīċe 

Rōm                                            Rōmane                                Rōmanisc

Denemearc                                 Dene                                     Denisc

Grēcland                    

Swēoland                                   Swēon    

Ispānia                                                                                     Ispānisc

Itālia

Ēgypte                                       Ēgypte

(France)                                                                                   Frencisc

                                                                                                 Gallisc

(Germany)                                                                               þēodisc

Some Occupations

On ċiriċe

     Munuc - Monk

     Biscop, bisceop, biscep - Bishop

     Pāpa - Pope

On þæt land

     Æcermann - Farmer

     Ierþling - Farmer, plowman

On þæm sǣ

     Flotmann - Sailor

     Fiscere - Fisherman

Mid dēor

     Scēaphierd - Shepard

     Oxanhierd, Nīþerhierd - Ox herder

     Hunta - Huntsman

     Fuglere - Fowler

On þonne tūn

     Ċīepemann - Merchant

     Mangere - Merchant

     Scōwyrhta - Shoe maker.

     Sealtere - Salter

On þæt hūs

     Bæcere - Baker

     Cōc - Cook

Pronouns

Episode 1: Pronunciation and Context

In this episode we introduce the language and learn how different, yet similar, Old English sounds. This is part one of a 3 part "Intro" section designed to get you used to the sound and basic features of the language.

Check out this episode!

Here is a link to the Introductory Presentation mentioned in this episode.

Extras

I didn't feel like wasting this space by throwing up my show script, so instead, this bit of random anglo-saxon and germanic language information is here to further our understanding of the people we're talking about, as well as where Old English sits in the greater Germanic Language Family.

Anglo Saxon Kingdoms

• Northumbria comprises the former kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, and was the center for early Old English literary creativity.
• Mercia spoke an Anglian dialect (as did Northumbria) that was very common up until the Viking establishment of the Dane law region in the 9th century.
• West Saxon is the main dialect that is read both due to it's numerous serving works, and the high culture that was established in the region after the unification of King Alfred. 
• Very little of the Kentish dialect survives, mostly pieces of legal documents, and lists of names.

Practice Sentences for Pronunciation

Alfred is dēad.
Hē went to Rōme late in līfe.
Se horn sang hlūde on þæt scip.
Hwæt is þis? And þæt?
Þēos is sēo cwēne.
Ælfrīc munuc grēt Æðelwærd ealdormann ēadmōdlīce.
Wē libbe in Ængla Lande.
Hwæt selþ hē þē?

For a guide to the pronunciation in written form, see the Pronunciation Guide above.

Comparisons

One of the best ways to learn about a language is to compare it to other closely related languages. Here I've included several translations of The Lord's Prayer for a comparison.

The standard Modern English version is:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil.

If you pay attention, you can almost make out the meanings of most of these from comparing the Old English and Modern English.