Learning Old English
A side-quest in cultural retrieval and appreciation of our heritage.
“No language is justly studied merely as an aid to other purposes. It will in fact better serve other purposes, philological or historical, when it is studied for love, for itself.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
The latest endeavor I’ve embarked upon is learning Old English.
The resources below are collated primarily for my own benefit, but I trust they will be of interest to anyone curious about the complex and noble roots of our modern tongue. Those who have no intention of learning some Old English will still find the first few links below fascinating with regard to our Anglo-Saxon heritage. Those barbarian boors who care nothing at all for such enlightening and enchanting historical musements, well, feel free to stop reading and move along.
A Few Basics:
Old English refers to the English language in its earliest stage, from roughly AD 450 to AD 1150. Old English used to be referred to more commonly as Anglo-Saxon (as we see in Lewis and Tolkien, for example).
There were several main dialects of Old English: West Saxon, Kentish, and the Anglian dialects, Northumbrian and Mercian. Tolkien’s favorite dialect was Mercian (the most direct ancestor of Middle English, and, thus, Modern English); but West Saxon (the tongue of Alfred the Great) came to be the main literary language of Anglo-Saxon England, so it is the most preserved and normalized form of Old English.
I am working on learning West Saxon (both Early West Saxon, via Sweet, and Late West Saxon, via Gorrie). It’s been rather delightful because, in most ways, it's very like learning a foreign language, yet there are just enough familiarities to remind you that this is our language... our heritage. And there’s something both grounding and exhilarating in that.
Now, Gorrie and Scheper both advocate for a direct method of language acquisition.
The direct method of language learning (exemplified by Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina per se Illustrata, and thus sometimes called Ørberg-style), is a “natural” or “direct” approach emphasizing immersive, context-driven acquisition without translation. Language is learned inductively and immersively. Students read connected material entirely in the target language, absorbing vocabulary and grammar through context, repetition, and graded exposure (similar to how a child acquires a first language).
This is in contrast to a Wheelock-style “grammar-translation” approach, in which language is learned deductively and analytically. Students study explicit grammar rules in English, memorize paradigms, and translate sentences back and forth. Mastery of forms and syntax precedes fluency in reading.
I think a hybrid model is likely most effective for the average language student. Some formal grammar basics are tremendously helpful up front (such as knowing what cases are), but diving straight into the technical details can be overwhelming. The Ørberg-style reading approach can be a bit frustrating at first because of the body of material you will not recognize; nevertheless, it is more immediately delightful because you are actually reading the language.
I would learn pronunciation first, as well as some grammar basics (the links in the first section below should suffice, perhaps along with the first 2-3 chapters of King Alfred’s Grammar), then begin with Osweald Bera, while also diving into the additional material regarding the Anglo-Saxon language and culture that can be found in the first two sections below (Kindle Passion, and YouTube).
Collin Gorrie has a helpful suggested sequence here, and his Substack there is another worthwhile resource as well.
Start Here to Kindle Passion:
An informative conversation between Collin Gorrie and Graham Scheper, complete with an actual informal conversation between them in Old English.
Winters in the World (book: print or Audible)
Wordhord (book: print or Audible)
This pdf ties some basics of Old English to Tolkien’s writing.
Here is a good overall introduction from ALI
YouTube:
A concise pronunciation guide from Collin Gorrie
Collin Gorrie is the author of Osweald Bera; it’s worth watching every one of his videos on Old English (Gorrie also has an interesting substack here).
Graham Scheper is also a wealth of fascinating information, including culture and history.
Free Online Resources:
A very helpful List of Online Resources from Collin Gorrie
King Alfred’s Grammar (an online grammar text)
Old English Online (lesson series from University of Texas)
Books:
1) Foundational:
Osweald Bera - with a helful intro here
Anglo-Saxon Primer, by Henry Sweet
A Guide to Old English, by Mitchell and Robinson
2) Additional, to Build Library Later:
Complete Old English, by Mark Atherton
First Steps in Anglo Saxon, by Henry Sweet
Anglo-Saxon Reader, by Henry Sweet
Introduction to Old English, by Peter S. Baker
Old English Reader, by Murray McGillivray
Student’s Dictionary of Anglo Saxon, by Henry Sweet
Parsing Charts:
https://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/files/OECheatsheet2.pdf
https://www.oldenglishaerobics.net/resources/magic_letter.pdf
After you have pursued some self-learning, those who find they wish to dive into learning the language a little more seriously should look into courses from Graham Scheper or from the Ancient Languuage Institute.
