Marta Blázquez Rodríguez

Olga Gómez Rodríguez

María Hernández Jiménez
Esther Villardón Grande

Cynewulf and Cyneheard

[9] Ðā on morgenne ġehīerdun þæt þæs cyninges þeġnas þe him beæftan wǣrun þæt se

cyning ofslæġen wæs.

Then, in the morning, the king´s servants, who were behind him, heard that the king had

been slain.

[10] Þā ridon hīe þider ond his aldormon Ōsriċ ond Wīferþ his þeġn ond þā men þe hē

beæftan him lǣfde ǣr, ond þone æþeling on þǣre byriġ mētton þǣr se cyning ofslæġen

læġ (ond þā gatu him tō belocen hæfdon), ond þā þǣrtō ēodon.

Then, they rode to that place and his nobleman Osric and his servant Wiferth rode there

too and the men whom he had left behind him earlier rode there too, and they found the

nobleman in the city where the king laid slain (and they (Cyneheard and his men) had the

gates locked against them) and then they walked thereto.

Morphological analysis

[9]

þā, adverb. t h e n .
This occurrence (Ðā): t h e n
on, preposition (with dat. or acc.). o n ; i n ; u p o n ; t o ; t o w a r d ; a g a i n s t ; i n t o ; o n t o ; a t ; a t t h e
t im e o f;d u r in g ;in t h e c o u r se o f;fr o m ;b e c a u se o f.
This occurrence: i n
morgen, strong masculine. m o r n i n g .
This occurrence (morgenne): m o r n i n g . Dative singular
(ge)hȳran, class 1 weak verb. h e a r ; l i s t e n t o ; h e a r o f ; o b e y (with dat.); in phrases h ȳran in
( o n ) , h ȳran to, b e s u b j e c t t o .
This occurrence (gehīerdun): h e a r d . past plural

1
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þæt): t h a t . neuter accusative singular
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þæs): t h e . masculine genitive singular.
cyning, strong masculine. k i n g .
This occurrence (cyninges): k i n g ' s . genitive singular
þegn, strong masculine. s e r v a n t ; r e t a i n e r ; n o b l e m a n ; m a s t e r .
This occurrence (þegnas): r e t a i n e r s . nominative plural
þe, relative pronoun. t h a t ; w h i c h ; w h o ; w h e r e ; w h e n .
This occurrence: w h o
hē, personal pronoun. h e ; h i m s e l f ; i t .
This occurrence (him): h i m . 3rd person masculine dative singular
beæftan, preposition (with dat.). b e h i n d .
This occurrence: b e h i n d
bēon, anomalous verb. b e .
This occurrence (wǣrun): w e r e . past plural
þæt, conjunction. t h a t ; s o t h a t ; b e c a u s e .
This occurrence: t h a t .
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence: t h e . masculine nominative singular
cyning, strong masculine. k i n g .
This occurrence: k i n g . nominative singular
ofslēan, class 6 strong verb. k i l l ; s l a y .
This occurrence (ofslægen): k i l l e d ; s l a i n . past participle
bēon, anomalous verb. b e .
This occurrence (wæs): w a s . past 3rd person singular
[10]
þā, adverb. t h e n .
This occurrence (Þā): t h e n
rīdan, class 1 strong verb. r i d e .
This occurrence (ridon): r o d e . past plural
hīe, personal pronoun. t h e y ; t h e m s e l v e s .
This occurrence: t h e y . 3rd person nominative plural
þider, adverb. t h i t h e r ; t o t h a t p l a c e .
This occurrence: t h i t h e r ; t o t h a t p l a c e
and, conjunction. a n d .
This occurrence (ond): a n d

2
hē, personal pronoun. h e ; h i m s e l f ; i t .
This occurrence (his): h i s . 3rd person masculine genitive singular
ealdorman, masculine athematic. r u l e r ; c h i e f ; o v e r s e e r ; n o b l e m a n .
This occurrence (aldormon): r u l e r ; c h i e f ; n o b l e m a n . nominative singular
Ōsric, masculine proper noun.
This occurrence: nominative singular
and, conjunction. a n d .
This occurrence (ond): a n d

Wīferþ, masculine proper noun.

This occurrence: nominative singular
hē, personal pronoun. h e ; h i m s e l f ; i t .
This occurrence (his): h i s . 3rd person masculine genitive singular
þegn, strong masculine. s e r v a n t ; r e t a i n e r ; n o b l e m a n ; m a s t e r .
This occurrence: r e t a i n e r . nominative singular
and, conjunction. a n d .
This occurrence (ond): a n d
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þā): t h e . nominative plural
man, masculine athematic. m a n ; p e r s o n ; h u s b a n d .
This occurrence (men): m e n . nominative plural
þe, relative pronoun. t h a t ; w h i c h ; w h o ; w h e r e ; w h e n .
This occurrence: w h o
hē, personal pronoun. h e ; h i m s e l f ; i t .
This occurrence: h e . 3rd person masculine nominative singular
beæftan, preposition (with dat.). b e h i n d .
This occurrence: b e h i n d
hē, personal pronoun. h e ; h i m s e l f ; i t .
This occurrence (him): h i m . 3rd person masculine dative singular
lǣfan, class 1 weak verb. l e a v e .
This occurrence (lǣfde): l e f t . past 3rd person singular
ǣr, adverb. b e f o r e ; e a r l y ; e a r l i e r ; f o r m e r l y .
This occurrence: b e f o r e .
and, conjunction. a n d .
This occurrence (ond): a n d .
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þone): t h e . masculine accusative singular
æðeling, strong masculine. p r i n c e ; n o b l e m a n .

3
This occurrence (æþeling): p r i n c e . accusative singular.
on, preposition (with dat. or acc.). o n ; i n ; u p o n ; t o ; t o w a r d ; a g a i n s t ; i n t o ; o n t o ; a t ; a t t h e
t im e o f;d u r in g ;in t h e c o u r se o f;fr o m ;b e c a u se o f.
This occurrence: i n
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þǣre): t h e . feminine dative singular
burg, feminine athematic. f o r t i f i e d p l a c e ; f o r t r e s s ; t o w n ; c i t y .
This occurrence (byrig): f o r t r e s s . dative singular
(ge)mētan, class 1 weak verb. m e e t ; e n c o u n t e r ; f i n d .
This occurrence (mētton): m e t . past plural
þǣr, conjunction. w h e r e .
This occurrence: w h e r e
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence: t h e . masculine nominative singular
cyning, strong masculine. k i n g .
This occurrence: k i n g . nominative singular
ofslēan, class 6 strong verb. k i l l ; s l a y .
This occurrence (ofslægen): k i l l e d ; s l a i n . past participle
licgan, class 5 strong verb. l i e ; with refl. pron. l i e d o w n ; b e s i t u a t e d ; of a road or waterway,
or veins in the body, r u n .
This occurrence (læg): l a y . past 3rd person singular
and, conjunction. a n d .
This occurrence (ond): a n d
se, demonstrative pronoun. t h e ; t h a t ; t h a t o n e ;w h o ;w h ich ;th a t w h ich ;th is;th e
a fo r e m e n t io n e d ;h e ;sh e ;it .
This occurrence (þā): t h e . accusative plural
geat, strong neuter. g a t e .
This occurrence (gatu): g a t e s . accusative plural
hīe, personal pronoun. t h e y ; t h e m s e l v e s .
This occurrence (him): t h e m . 3rd person dative plural
tō, preposition (usually with dat.). t o ; t o w a r d s ; i n t o ; a s a ; o n ; a t (of
time); f o r ; f r o m ; a g a i n s t .
This occurrence: a g a i n s t
belūcan, class 2 strong verb. l o c k .
This occurrence (belocen): l o c k e d . past participle
habban, class 3 weak verb. h a v e ; h o l d ; p o s s e s s .
This occurrence (hæfdon): h a d . past plural
and, conjunction. a n d .

4
This occurrence (ond): a n d
þā, adverb. t h e n .
This occurrence: t h e n
ðǣrtō, adverb. t h e r e t o ; t o i t ; f r o m th ere.
This occurrence (þǣrtō): t h e r eto
gān, anomalous verb. g o ; w a l k .
This occurrence (ēodon): w e n t . past plural

Phonological analysis
ON
OE on >ME on > PdE [ɒn]
[on] <on>

THAT
OE þæt > 1. ME ðat > 2. 1653 ðæt > PdE [ðæt]
[θæt] <that>
1. Voicing because it is a grammatical word
2. Fronting

KING
OE kyning> 1. ME kining > 2. king > 3. 17 th kiŋ > PdE [kɪŋ]
[küning] <king>
1. Eastern development of y.
2. Assimilation due to the law of the least effort.
3. ŋ becomes a phoneme and [g] is lost.

HIM
OE him > ME him >PdE [hm] <him>
[him]

WERE
OE wæ̅ron> 1. ME wę̅r > 2. eModE wę̅r > 3. 18th wę̅ər> weər > 4. 20 weə >
[wæ:ron] PdE [weə] <were>
1. Loss of endings.
2. Successful -r
3. r-gliding.
4. Loss of final [-r]

5
WAS
OE wæs > 1.ME waz > 2. eModE woz > PdE [wɒz] <was>
[wæs]
1. Voicing because it is a grammatical word
2. Rounding influence of w

RIDE
OE rīdɑn > 1. ME rīd > 2. eModE raid > PdE [raɪd] <rɪde>
[ri:dɑn]
1. Loss of ending
2. GVS

THITHER
OE þider > 1.2. ME ðidər > 3. 17th ðiðər > 4. 20th ðiðə > PdE [ðɪðə]
[θider] <thither>
1.Voicing because it is a grammatical word.
2. Weakening of the vowel of the 2nd syllable due to lack of stress
3.Fricatization due to proximity to r
4. -r > Ø

AND
OE and > 1. ME and > 2. 1653 ᴂnd > PdE [ᴂnd]
[ɑnd] <and>
1. No lengthening of a when followed by nasal plus homorganic consonant.
2. 1653 Fronting

HIS
OE his > ME 1.hiz > PdE [hɪz]
[his] <his>
1. Voicing because it is a grammatical word.
MAN
OE mɑnn > 1. lOE man > ME man > 2. 1653 mæn > PdE [mæn]
[mɑnn] <man>
1. Simplification of geminates
2. 1653 fronting

MEN
OE men > ME men > PdE [men]
[men] <men>

6
HE
OE hē > ME hẹ̅> 1. eModE hī > PdE [hi:]
[he:] <he>
1.GVS

MEET
OE mēttɑn >1. lOE mētɑn> 2. ME mẹ̅t > 3.eModE mīt > PdE [mi:t]
[me:ttɑn] <meet>
1. Simplification of geminates
2.Loss of endings
3.GVS

THERE
OE þæ̅r > 1.ME ðę̅r > 2. ðę̅r > 3. 18th ðę̅ər> ðeər > 4. 20th ðeə > PdE [ðeə]
[θæ:r] <there>
1. Voicing because it is a grammatical word
2. Successful -r
3. r-gliding
4. -r > Ø

HAD
OE hᴂfdon [hᴂvdon] > 1. ME havd > 2. had > 3. 1653 hᴂd > PdE [hᴂd] <had>
1. Weakening and loss of ending.
2. Loss of [v] due to the law of the least effort.
3. 1653 Fronting

HAVE
OE habban [haββan]> 1. l. OE haβan > 2. ME hav > 3. 1653 hᴂv > PdE [hᴂv] <have>
1. Simplification of geminates.
2. Weakening and loss of endings and free change –β>v
3. 1653 Fronting.

THERETO
OE þæ̅r > 1.ME ðę̅r > 2. ðę̅r > 3. 18th ðę̅ər > ðeər > 4. 20th ðeə > PdE [ðeə]
[θæ:r] <there>
1. Voicing because it is a grammatical word
2. Successful -r
3. r-gliding
4. -r > Ø

7
OE tō > ME t ọ̅ >1. eModE tū >PdE [tu:] <too>
[to:]
1. GVS
OE tō > ME t ọ̅ >1. eModE tū > 2.tʊ >PdE [tʊ] <to>
[to:]
1. GVS
2. Late shortening (post 1640)

Graphical analysis
-In OE the letters <ð> and <þ> were used to represent the interdental fricatives, voiced
and voiceless indistinctively. By ANC (Anglo-Norman convention) these fricatives came
to be represented by means of the letters <th> in ME.
i.e. OE <þe> PdE <the>
OE <þæ̅r> PdE <there>

-In OE <æ> was substituted in ME by <a> by ANC. <æ> appeared for the last time in
1258, in T h e O x f o r d P r o v i s i o n s .
i.e. OE <þaet> PdE <that>
OE <hæfdon> PdE <have>

-In ME by ANC diacritic <e> was used to indicate that the vowel of the previous syllable
was long.
i.e. OE <þæ̅r> PdE <there>
OE <rīdan> PdE <ride>

-In ME it was established by ANC that ME ę̅ would be represented by means of <ea>.

Also, by ANC the PdE digraph <ee> represents the ẹ̅.
i.e. OE <mētton> PdE <meet>
OE <læ̅fan> PdE <leave>

-In OE the voiceless palatal plosive /k/ was represented by means of the letter <c>. When
it was followed by a velar or back vowel. In ME, by ANC, it came to be represented by
means of the letter <k> when followed by a palatal or front vowel, by means of the letters
<ck> in final position or in mid-word position, and by means of the letter <c> when it
was followed by a velar vowel.
i.e. OE <cyning> PdE <king>

8
-In OE the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ and the voiced labiodental fricative /v/ were
represented by means of the letter <f>. In ME /v/ came to be represented by means of the
letter <v>.
i.e. OE <hæfdon> ME <havd> PdE <have>

Semantic analysis
-In OE the preposition <on> sometimes had meanings now given to <in>. In ME <in>
was reintroduced from French and <on> lost its “in” meanings.

-In OE, “man” meant “one”, “man” or “husband”. Nowadays it only has the meaning of
man (male, masculine).

-Originally OE <burg> referred to what we nowadays consider a medieval fortress or

walled town. Due to the fact that the structure of towns has changed over the last
century, PdE make use of the words “city” and “town”. Whereas <city> has its root in
O.FR. <cité>, which obviously derived from Latin <civitas>, <town> derives from OE
<tūn>, which back then carried the meaning of “enclosed land with buildings”.
Interestingly, we can detect Anglo-Germanic roots in many current city names (i.e.
Hamburg, Edinburgh, etc.). Furthermore, PdE <borough>, which obviously derives from
OE <burg> as well, usually applies to an administrative district of a town or city.

-PdE <too> and <to> both derives from OE <tō>. Whereas PdE <too> is the result of the
paradigatic developtment of OE tō, PdE <to> experienced a late shortening that took
place after 1640.