It is named after king alfred the great, who ruled wessex from 871 to 899 and was born in wantage in 849 ad. The intricacies of grammar, in fact, should not be relegated to the realm of fussy guardians of the language, but are rather essential clues all can employ to communicate more exactly. Apr 25, 2005 if youre curious about learning old english, take a look at michael drouts nicely done king alfreds grammar book, and catherine balls old english pages. King alfreds grammar california state university, northridge. Who is king alfred and what exactly does he have to do with the english language anyway. I plan to not only revisit this book again, but i am also printing out the vocabulary and exercises from drout s king alfred s grammar website so i can complete these again to serve as a refresher before. Whites book king alfred s english is enlightening, entertaining, and easy to read about the origin and history of the english language, from the latin influence of the romans in britain, through anglosaxon old english, middle english after the norman invasion, early modern english of queen elizabeth i and king james, to. September 26, 2015 tell us a little about yourself. In the year of our lords incarnation the eight hundred and seventyeighth, and the thirtieth from king alfreds birth, the oftmentioned army left exeter and came to chippenham, a royal vill located in the. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drouts quick and easy. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drouts. Buy king alfred the great 1st edition by smyth, alfred p.
Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drout s quick and easy old english presents the basics of the language in an accessible form. All these attempted to blend the mosaic code with the. Philological public service announcement celtic studies. Drout has now transformed his classic king alfreds grammar into a comprehensive guide for learning old english. If you would like to get an idea of what it might have been like to hear alfred talking, you should take a holiday in frisia, an island region in the northwest netherlands. In that language, which we now refer to as old english, the ordinary activities of english society were conducted, including government, law, literature, historical records, and basic education. If youre curious about learning old english, take a look at michael drouts nicely done king alfreds grammar book, and catherine balls old english pages. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. King alfred is the name of both an innovative textbook and a computational environment deployed in parallel in an undergraduate course on anglosaxon literature. May 09, 2009 if youre curious about learning old english, take a look at michael drouts nicely done king alfreds grammar book, and catherine balls old english pages. Webbased customized tutoring for an ancient language. My command of reading and translating old english has grown over the course of the book, which is exactly what i hoped for with this book. King alfreds book of laws or dooms alias his deemings came forth from the as then already longestablished laws of kent, mercia and wessex.
Michael dc drout has now transformed his classic king alfreds grammar into a comprehensive guide for learning. Michael dc drout has now transformed his classic king alfred s grammar into a comprehensive guide for learning old english. A saxon child in king alfreds day would have found it a good deal easier to learn to read than an english child in queen elizabeths day. Those of us who teach ancient languages and cultures must constantly confront our students lack of background in formal grammar. Drouts english grammar book, king alfreds grammar, is available at his website.
If you would like to get an idea of what it might have been like to hear. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drouts quick and easy old english presents the basics of the language in an accessible form. Le guins earthsea books and susan coopers dark is rising series of childrens fantasy novels. Even the most novice student can learn to read the classics of medieval. At the bottom of the page there are links to other material that may be of interest, including my free online grammar book for old english king alfred s grammar, and my books and other recorded courses.
Drout has written an old english grammar book, king alfreds. King alfred s book of laws or dooms alias his deemings came forth from the as then already longestablished laws of kent, mercia and wessex. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drouts quick and easy old english presents the basics of the language in an accessible. Mar 24, 2010 among other things, he also writes his own blog, wormtalk and slugspeak, about life in academia and on his scholarship. Professor drout continues to explore humanity s intimate association with language with language, here delving into the finer points of grammar. The intricacies of grammar, in fact, should not be relegated to. Drout has written an old english grammar book, king alfreds grammar, which is available for free at his website. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. It is ed material and cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without his written permission. At the bottom of the page there are links to other material that may be of interest, including my free online grammar book for old english king alfreds grammar, and my books and other recorded courses. It is named after king alfred the great, who ruled wessex from 871 to 899 and was born in wantage in 849. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Dec 02, 2018 my command of reading and translating old english has grown over the course of the book, which is exactly what i hoped for with this book.
Drout has written an old english grammar book, king alfreds grammar, which is available for free at his website, he has given lectures in england, finland, italy, canada, and. I hope you enoy the poems and the anglosaxon world. Professor drout continues to explore humanitys intimate association with language with language, here delving into the finer points of grammar. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and. The school has approximately 140 teachers and 1,800 students spread across two sites. My online grammar king alfred s grammar, is available for free. Tolkien in collaboration with his students at wheaton. See king alfreds grammar book by professor michael d.
This old english grammar book appears as a courtesy of dr. Professor of english and director of the center for the digital humanities at california state university, northridge. A teacher controlled, web interfaced old english learning. Drout with david dudek and rachel kapelle wheaton college, norton ma. Harris home anglosaxon aloud how to use this grammar book an introduction to old english unfamiliar letters in old english pronouncing old. When i teach beowulf im teaching a class this spring, it requires a class in the fall on old english language, which we learn from the. It is ed material and cannot be reproduced in whole or in. Drout is the william and elsie prentice professor of english at wheaton college in norton, massachusetts, where he teaches courses in old and middle english, medieval literature.
A history of the language we speak and why we should be glad we do. Nov 06, 2006 michael dc drout has now transformed his classic king alfreds grammar into a comprehensive guide for learning old english. Materials for the oe class by bella millett university of southampton, uk. For those interested in learning more about middle english and chaucer, take a look at larry bensons site. Anglo saxon aloud is the the place to find professor drouts recordings of everything from beowulf to advice on charms to recover lost cattle. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, drouts quick and easy old. This was my immediate response to the title of laurie j. The sound of anglosaxon wheaton college massachusetts. I am a teacher, writer, and mom of 3 grown kids who were homeschooled k12. Michael dc drout has now transformed his classic king alfreds grammar into a comprehensive guide for learning old english. Drout lives in dedham, massachusetts, with his wife raquel doyen, their daughter rhys, and their son mitchell.
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