Old English
Background Information:
Old English was the language of the Angles inhabiting England from approximately the time of the the Danelaw (886 AD) to the Norman invasion (1066 AD). Although these dates describe a specific time where the language was used, these dates are more of a guideline to help distinguish developments in the language. Old English is a strongly Germanic language, especially in its vocabulary, and much of its memorable pieces of literature reflect this heritage. One such example is the epic, Beowulf.
Old English was the language of the Angles inhabiting England from approximately the time of the the Danelaw (886 AD) to the Norman invasion (1066 AD). Although these dates describe a specific time where the language was used, these dates are more of a guideline to help distinguish developments in the language. Old English is a strongly Germanic language, especially in its vocabulary, and much of its memorable pieces of literature reflect this heritage. One such example is the epic, Beowulf.
Old English has two sets of alphabets: one the runic alphabet and the other the roman alphabet. The Runic alphabet, or the Futhork, is the traditional Germanic runes that were used by many different tribes across Europe. It wasn't until the landing of Christian missionaries that the roman alphabet was adopted.
Here is a video pronouncing the names of the runes as they would be pronounced in the Old English language:
Here is a video pronouncing the names of the runes as they would be pronounced in the Old English language:
Here is a video with the pronunciation of Old English using the Latin alphabet:
Now that you have seen and heard Old English, here is a passage from Beowulf both in text and audio form:
Grendel's Approach to Heorot (702b-709)