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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Discussion questions
Consider the typological relationship of OE to the other Germanic languages.
Write on the relationship of EITHER writing and speech OR grammar and lexicon, with reference to the history of English during the pre-OE and OE periods.
What are the implications of the linguistic study of OE for EITHER (a) the general history of English, OR (b) the study of the principles of linguistic change?
How far, and for what reasons, is it important for historians of OE to have a wider knowledge of Anglo-Saxon archaeology and history?
‘Old English is the period of full inflexion; Present-Day English is the period of reduced inflexion.’ Discuss the truth and/or implications of this statement.
Here is a short passage from the OE poem The Wanderer, in a modern edition by T. P. Dunning and A. J. Bliss published in 1969. The poem survives in the Exeter Book (MS Exeter, Cathedral 3501; see Ker 1957: 153); the readings of the manuscript, along with a selection of readings as presented in other modern editions, are also included. What were the linguistic reasons for the decisions made by Dunning and Bliss? Please note: the translation below is based on decisions taken by Dunning and Bliss.
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