Foro Beowulf

Hi teacher and classmates

1 . How do you understand the period of Old English?

This period of Old English was a language used between the year 425 until the middle of 1125 approximately and that
compared to the English that is currently used, it had great flexibility in its syntax, this language was deeply Germanic
and some words used in that time are still preserved. Anglo-Saxon language. This language originated due to the arrival
of Germanic tribes in England, which made it lack prepositions and articles and its origin used long vowels, and had
phrases adopted from French and a great influence from Latin.
A very special characteristic is that this English presents three genders in its pronouns, adjectives and names, the
feminine, a neuter and the masculine and in terms of its grammar it presented a unique numbering, it presented the
singular, the plural and the dual.

2. Why do you think it is called Old English?

It is considered wrong to call what was the beginning of a language ancient, since change and improvement is gradual,
but many consider that its Old English name is due to the fact that it was the language from which modifications aimed
at improving the language were born. and to create what is known today as English. Something that was, a past
language of which only some evidence of its existence and origin remains.
 

3. What makes it a unique period?

It is a unique period since genres such as the epic, hagiography were cultivated and that sentences could be weapon
zed with great subtlety without abandoning the functions and grammatical rules.

4. Provide some examples from “The Beowulf” to reinforce your ideas, so make sure to READ THE BOOK (not the
whole book), at least, a couple of chapters.

Beowulf is a writing considered epic in the Anglo-Saxon language, which composed of 3182 verses tells the story of a
hero who goes to the aid of the Danes facing a gigantic monster in its first part, becomes king and continues his bravery
until that in the second part he fights to the death with a dragon, being a great representation of a magical realism of
the time.

Two good examples include:

Unferth = discord.

Beowulf = the guardian of the town

References

https://pv.cecar.edu.co/virtualidad/pluginfile.php/45110/mod_resource/content/2/Old%20English%20Literature.pdf

https://pv.cecar.edu.co/virtualidad/pluginfile.php/45107/mod_resource/content/2/Beowulf.pdf