1:25p-2:15p MWF (20) 3 cr

P: G205 OR EQUIVALENT

Did you ever wonder why the days of the week are named after pagan gods? Or why words like "thief" and "mouse" and "sheep" do not simply add –s to form the plural? Or why there are so many silent letters in words like "knight" and "Cholmondeleigh" (pronounced Chumley)? The answers lie in the study of Old English, the English language as it was spoken in the early Middle Ages, up to the time of the Norman Conquest. This is the earliest form of the English language known to us. Although at first glance Old English looks like a foreign language, students quickly discover how similar it is to varieties of English spoken today, and in one semester it is easy to acquire sufficient command of the language to read any text in Old English, including "Beowulf." We will spend some time studying various cultural aspects of the world of the Anglo-Saxons (as English speakers of that period are now called), such as runic inscriptions, the making of manuscripts, survivals of pagan and folkloristic belief, and the history of the period, especially the devastating Viking invasions. But for the most part class time will be devoted to examining the structure of the language and learning to decipher Old English texts. Course requirements will include two or three examinations, but no papers.