Subject: The Indo-European Family of Languages. Germanic languages.
Instructions: Basing on the Grimm’s law, explain the correspondences of underlined sounds in the following words of the common root from Germanic and non-Germanic Indo-European languages.
Tasks:
Explanations:
1. Latincordis (heart) à Gothichairtō
2. Latingenu (knee) à Gothickniu
Part II.
Subject: The Old English Period
Instructions: Provide grammatical analysis of the suggested elements from the sentence below:
o Nouns — define the declension type (strong or weak), number, case.
o Adjectives — define the declension type (strong or weak), number, case, gender, degree of comparison.
o Verbs — strong or weak type, define tense, aspect, mood, person, number.
o Pronouns — class, if possible, person, number, case.
Translate the sentence in Modern English.
Adam cwæð: "Ðæt wīf ðe ðū mē forġēafe tō ġefēran sealde mē of ðām trēowe, and iċ ǣtt."
Glossary
cweðan – (verb) say
(ge)etan – (verb) eat
forgiefan – (verb) give
gefēra – (noun, masc) companion
sellan – (verb) give
trēow - (noun, neut.) tree
wīf – (noun, neut) – wife, woman
Word as used in the text
Form, notes
Corresponding ModE word
3. wīf
4. ðū
5. mē
6. forġēafe
7. ġefēran
8. sealde
9. mē
10. ðām
11. trēowe
12. Modern English translation:
Part III.
Subject: The Middle English period
Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
An extract from The Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Prologue
Lines 12-23: The Miller offers to tell a tale.
About The Miller's Prologue and Tale:
The travellers have just listened to the Knight's tale and agree on the high standing of the Knight's tale. The Miller offers to tell the next tale and is convinced that he will beat the Knight. The Host suggests that the Miller should wait as he is quite drunk. The Miller replies that he insists on telling his tale about a carpenter. The Reeve, who is a carpenter by trade, urges the Miller not to make jokes about carpenters. The Miller replies he has no intention to insult carpenters in general. Chaucer warns the reader for the Miller's rude language.
The Miller's tale is about an old carpenter who has a young wife and is duped by the suitor of his wife. The suitor is eventually duped by another suitor.
Middle English text
Modern English translation
The Millere that for dronken was al pale,
So that unnethe upon his hors he sat,
He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat,
15 Ne abyde no man for his curteisie,
But in Pilates voys he gan to crie,
And swoor, "By armes and by blood and bones,
I kan a noble tale for the nones,
With which I wol now quite the Knyghtes tale."
20 Oure Hooste saugh that he was dronke of ale,
And seyde, "Abyd, Robyn, my leeve brother,
Som bettre man shal telle us first another,
Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily."
The miller, who of drinking was all pale,
So that unsteadily on his horse he sat,
He would not take off either hood or hat,
15 Nor wait for any man, in courtesy,
But all in Pilate's voice began to cry,
And "By the arms and blood and bones," he swore,
"I have a noble story in my store,
With which I will requite the good knight's tale."
20 Our host saw, then, that he was drunk with ale,
And said to him: "Wait, Robin, my dear brother,
Some better man shall tell us first another:
Submit and let us work on profitably."
13. Find analytical forms of the verb that appeared in Middle English.
14. Find finite verbs and define their form (person, number, tense).
15. Find Infinitives and explain what changes they underwent in Middle English.
16. Find pronouns, give their Old English equivalents and explain which changes they underwent in Middle English.
17. Find adjectives and define their form.
18. Find examples of the noun(s) in the Genitive case.
Explain the development of the following words from OE to MidE:
Old English
Middle English
Explanation:
19. broðor
brother (Line 21)
20. cniht (boy, youth, a man of arms)
Knyght (Line 19)
21. sum
som (Line 22)
Task IV.
Subject: The Early Modern English period
Instructions: Read the following extract from Hamlet by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
Barnardo
It was about to speake, when the Cocke crew.
147:
Horatio
And then it started, like a guilty thing
148: Vpon a fearfull Summons. I haue heard,
149: The Cocke that is the Trumpet to the day,
150: Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding Throate
151: Awake the God of Day: and at his warning,
152: Whether in Sea, or Fire, in Earth, or Ayre,
153: Th' extrauagant, and erring Spirit, hyes
154: To his Confine. And of the truth heerein,
155: This present Obiect made probation.
22. Find present finite verb, define their form (person, number).
23. Find past tense verb, define whether they are weak or strong. Are these verbs regular or irregular in Present-day English?
24. Find word where the letter u is used for the sound v.
25. Provide word-for-word translation of characters’ statements in Modern English.