Uppsala University, Department of English
Erik Smitterberg (SMG)
CODE:_____________________
Master programme: Old English and Middle English
Written exam, 19 November 2010, 8.00–12.00
Instructions:
Answer all questions (1–7). Write down all answers in this paper copy of the exam.
Write your exam code at the top of this page.
Use macrons to mark vowel length in Old English words. You do not need to
indicate stress in phonemic/broad or phonetic/narrow transcriptions of Old
English words. The stress symbol <ˈ> must be used to indicate primary stress in
phonemic/broad transcriptions of Middle English words of more than one syllable.
Meanings, inflectional categories, etc. are only given for words whose meanings or
categories are not given in the textbooks, and only where it is relevant to the
question.
Good luck!
1. Transcribe the Old English words in (a)–(e) below using both phonemic/broad and
phonetic/narrow transcription. Assume that all letters have their normal Old English
pronunciation in the contexts in which they occur, and that unstressed vowels have not yet
fallen together as /ə/. (10 p)
Word
Phonemic/broad transcription
Phonetic/narrow transcription
a. dōgor
b. fāh
c. hrūse
d. dreng
e. offrian
2. State the case and number of the Old English nouns idese in sentence (a) and ċeastre in
sentence (b); then translate sentences (a) and (b) into idiomatic Present-day English. Bāt is a
form of bītan; ridon is a form of rīdan. (6 p)
a. Þā bāt se swifta hund þā idese.
idese:
case _______________
number _______________
Translation ______________________________________________________________
b. Hīe ridon fram þǣre ċeastre.
ċeastre:
case _______________
number _______________
Translation _______________________________________________________________
1
3. Complete the translations into Old English of sentences (a)–(e) below by supplying the
appropriate Old English forms of the missing words. Use the words whose base forms are
given below sentence (e). Assume that the indicative mood should be used in
independent/main clauses and that the subjunctive mood should be used in
subordinate/dependent clauses. Assume that a definite article in Present-day English
corresponds to the appropriate form of the ‘the/that/those’ demonstrative pronoun in Old
English. (14 p)
a. The man mocked the woman.
Se guma _______________ þæt wīf.
b. The poor woman throws black stones.
Sēo _______________ ides ______________ _______________ stānas.
c. They say that we broke these shields.
Hīe cweþaþ ðæt wē _______________ _______________ _______________.
d. He examined my stone.
Hē _______________ _______________ stān.
e. The poor man’s priest deserves this punishment.
_______________ _______________ _______________ prēost _______________ þisses
_______________.
black = sweart
break = brecan
deserve = earnian
examine = scēawian
man = guma
mock = hyspan (hyspan belongs to the same group as hǣlan)
poor = earm
punishment = wīte
shield = scild
throw = weorpan
2
4. Translate sentences (a) and (b) into idiomatic Present-day English. Then state in what
ways the word order in (a) and (b) differs from that of Present-day English and explain why
the differences occur. Stang is a form of stingan. (8 p)
a. Ne stang se wæps þæt bearn. (wæps = wasp [strong masculine noun])
Translation: ____________________________________________________________.
Word order comment: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
b. Se wīċing mē stang mid þām gāre.
Translation: ____________________________________________________________.
Word order comment: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
5. Provide a broad/phonemic transcription of the Old English words in (a)–(d) below. Then
provide a broad/phonemic transcription of the same words in Middle English. Assume (i)
that unstressed vowels are not reduced to /ə/ in Old English, (ii) that unstressed vowels are
reduced to /ə/ but not deleted in Middle English, and (iii) that all other relevant sound
changes have taken place between the stages represented by the Old English transcription
and the Middle English transcription. One possible spelling of each word in Middle English
is given after the Old English spelling. (8 p)
a. Old English grund (Middle English grownd).
Old English transcription: __________________.
Middle English transcription: __________________.
b. Old English bacan (Middle English baken).
Old English transcription: __________________.
Middle English transcription: __________________.
c. Old English næġl (Middle English nayl).
Old English transcription: __________________.
Middle English transcription: __________________.
d. Old English brȳd (Middle English bryd).
Old English transcription: __________________.
Middle English transcription: __________________.
3
6. Extracts (a)–(e) below contain Middle English text from a treatise on astronomy and
astrology; some changes have been made to the original text in order to facilitate reading.
In extracts (a)–(e), find 5 features where Middle English grammar (i.e. morphology and
syntax; not spelling, orthography, vocabulary, or pronunciation) differs from Present-day
Standard English grammar. Write down both the Middle English (ME) feature as it appears
in extracts (a)–(e) and its Present-day Standard English (PresE) equivalent. Note that the
same feature may occur several times in (a)–(e); only include each feature once. In addition,
note that there may be more than 5 relevant features in (a)–(e); however, only 5 features
are required and should be given. The base forms of some difficult words are translated
after the extracts. (5 p)
a. I wol writen this tretis in Englissh, for thou ne canst Latyn yit, my son.
b. When a hot planet cometh into a hot signe, than encresceth his hete; and yf a planet
be cold, than amenuseth his coldnesse bycause of the hot signe.
c. Allthough that Julius Cesar took 2 daies out of Feverer and putt hem in his month of
July, yit the sunne ne dwelleth longer in oon signe than in another.
d. The ascendent is a thing which that these astrologiens gretly observen.
e. The smallest fractions ne wol not be shewed in so small an instrument.
amenusen = diminish
gretly = keenly
ascendent = ascendant (an astrological
hete = heat
concept)
shewe = show
astrologien = astrologer
tretis = treatise
encrescen = increase
wol = will
Feverer = February
yit = yet; nevertheless
ME feature 1: _______________________________________________________________
PresE equivalent: ___________________________________________________________
ME feature 2: _______________________________________________________________
PresE equivalent: ___________________________________________________________
ME feature 3: _______________________________________________________________
PresE equivalent: ___________________________________________________________
ME feature 4: _______________________________________________________________
PresE equivalent: ___________________________________________________________
ME feature 5: _______________________________________________________________
PresE equivalent: ___________________________________________________________
4
7. Based on the translation into Present-day English that follows each sentence, supply
correct forms of the missing Middle English verbs and adjectives in (a)–(c) below. Only
supply one correct form of each missing word if there are several correct forms. Assume
that all adjectives are derived from Old English and distinguish between strong and weak
paradigms. Assume that the indicative mood of the verbs should be used. The strong
singular forms of the adjectives are grim ‘savage’ and bryȝt ‘bright’. Stelen ‘to steal’ is a Class
IV strong verb; betaknen ‘to symbolize’ is a weak verb. (6 p)
a. The _________________ cnihte _________________ _________________ ringes. ‘The
savage knight stole bright rings.’
b. The cnihtes hound was _________________. ‘The knight’s dog was savage.’
c. The _________________ sterres _________________ hoolynesse. ‘The bright stars
symbolize holiness.’
5