Quit twattling and take the quiz – these were words spoken in England from the Middle Ages and Early Modern eras…
The earliest use of the F-word discovered
September 10, 2015 By
An English historian has come across the word ‘fuck’ in a court case dating to year 1310, making it the earliest known reference to the swear word.
10 Phrases that Originated in the Middle Ages
September 5, 2015 By
Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages.
The Origins of Cistercian Sign Language
August 22, 2015 By
The present study begins with a discussion of the different forms of non-verbal communication used in early medieval monastic communities, with an emphasis on the sources for the use of sign language among Cluniac monks.
How to Speak Middle English
July 2, 2015 By
This four-part series of videos created by Youtuber Thatoneguyinlitclass gives a quick guide to speaking in Middle English.
Book Review: Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English
June 17, 2015 By
It may seem a little incredible that anyone would need a textbook to learn an older version of his or her mother tongue, but learning Old English (Anglo-Saxon) takes some time and effort – and a good textbook.
How Do You Say ‘Bastard’ in Medieval Latin?
March 23, 2015 By
As I am finding, analysis of the language of illegitimate birth reveals a rich, complex vocabulary used to indicate something less than fully legitimate birth.
The Medieval Alphabet
March 7, 2015 By
Take a look at the letters of the alphabet, as illustrated in medieval manuscripts
The Old English Translation of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum in its Historical and Cultural Context
February 14, 2015 By
Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (HE), written c. 731, enjoyed a great popularity among the Anglo-Saxons and Carolingians and was one of the most popular texts in medieval Europe.
Cryptographic Systems Used in the Romanian Countries between the 15th – 19th Centuries
February 13, 2015 By
Situated in the southeast of Europe, Romanian Countries had an intense diplomatic activity, even if this was not recorded accordingly in documents of the day.
Metaphor in the Medieval Middle East
January 26, 2015 By
Through a study of metaphor in medieval Arabic literature, Stanford comparative literature professor Alexander Key finds that the Arab world had a head start on the West when it comes to understanding how language works.
Changing from OV to VO: More evidence from Old French
January 1, 2015 By
One of the more obvious syntactic changes in the development of the Romance languages involved a switch in basic word order from the Latin SOV to the Romance SVO, a change still underway in early Old Romance. I
Domiciling the Evangelists in Anglo-Saxon England: a Fresh Reading of Aldred’s colophon in the Lindisfarne Gospels
December 20, 2014 By
What is actually reliable about this highly literary colophon is Aldred’s purpose in writing the gloss: to give the Evangelists a voice to address ‘all the brothers’− particularly the Latinless.
Norse loanwords in Old and Middle Irish
December 9, 2014 By
It is my objective to detect what the semantic development of Norse loanwords in Old and Middle Irish can tell us about the language and social contact situation of the Irish and the Norse raiders and settlers during the Viking Age.
‘Falseness Reigns in Every Flock’: Literacy and Eschatological Discourse in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
November 30, 2014 By
The literature of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, a miscellany of fourteenth-century poetry and prose penned before, during, and after the insurrection, often stresses the importance of literacy to the nonaristocratic population of England.
The Viking Language of the Highlands and Islands: Reconstructing the Norn Language from Old Norse
November 18, 2014 By
The Orkney and Shetland islands of Scotland were at one time colonized by Vikings and belonged firmly within the field of Scandinavian cultural influence. During this time the people of these archipelagos spoke a unique language known as Norn which evolved from the Old Norse language.
Pedlars and Alchemists in Friuli History of itinerant sellers in an alpine reality
August 25, 2014 By
This short review discusses about itinerant sellers in Friuli, who are Cramaro called (XI-XIX centuries). Attention is focused, in particular, on the question if some of theme were alchemists.
‘That melodious linguist’: Birds in Medieval Christian and Islamic Cosmography
August 12, 2014 By
“Birds,” writes Albertus Magnus, “generally call more than other animals. This is due to the lightness of their spirits.”
How well do you know the origins of English words? – Part 2
August 8, 2014 By
Can you tell which English words come from Anglo-Saxon or Old Norse?
(Re)casting the Past: The Cloisters and Medievalism
July 22, 2014 By
In this essay, I focus on a variety of texts printed using Anglo-Saxon type between 1566 and 1623 in an effort to explore the use of Anglo-Saxon typeface in the early modern period as the use of the Old English language progressed from polemical truncheon to historiographical instrument.
How well do you know the origins of English words?
July 14, 2014 By
Can you tell which word derives from the English of Anglo-Saxon times, and which word came from French?
From Old Norse to Modern Icelandic
July 1, 2014 By
Thus the language spoken and written in Iceland today is quite close to what has been called Old Norse, such as it appears in the medieval texts.
Old English Words for Relics of the Saints
June 29, 2014 By
This study begins with a review of some Latin terms and of certain material traits common to early medieval relic-cults, since these profoundly shaped the Old English vocabulary surveyed in the second part of the paper.
The original Frenglish
June 10, 2014 By
When France was speaking English without the prompting of a war or was it England who was speaking French….
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: How Messages were sent in the Middle Ages
May 7, 2014 By
Let’s imagine, for five minutes, what it must have been like to try and communicate across long distance in the Middle Ages.
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