Directions: The project is divided into four sections corresponding to each of the four epochs of English treated here. In each section, the text will be given first as it appears in an authoritative text from the period. This will be following by a detailed treatment of each word (and phrase where necessary) of the language. First, a phonetic representation in IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) will be given in brackets after the word in order to indicate an approximation of its original pronunciation. Next, if possible, a translation and discussion of other linguistic features necessary for understanding the word will be offered in so far as they are relevant to ENG 321. Finally, a comment on the difference between the word and PDE (Present Day English).

IPA Note: The symbol set that I am using here uses [j] to indicate the sound y (yuh) and [y] to indicate the sound of rounded, high front vowel, as in French duc.

Old English (c. 900)

1:1-2 forþam ðe witodlice manega þohton þara þinga race geendebyrdan þe on us gefyllede synt. swa us betæhtun ða þe hyt of frymðe gesawon. And þære spræce þenas wæron;

For verily the many were ordered to put into a narrative their thoughts of the things that were fulfilled in us. So was said of us that they it saw and their speech were.

forþam [foðam] :: for, here used in the sense of a conjunction or transition. Many of the verses of Luke begin with "forþam" ; a closer translation might be "for thus" or "for since" because "þam" means since or because in OE. So translating it as the conjunction for is close to correct, which exists today:: for carries forward in PDE intact, but "tham" is lost.

ð [] :: the; in this case a demonstrative (singular, instrumental, masculine or neuter) :: the in this case carries more pronomial meaning than in PDE.

witodlice [witodlI] :: truly, indeed, verily; of note is the typical adverbial ending lice, lic being an adjective marker and the final e as the adverbial marker :: This word drops out, replaced by the Latinate verily.

manega [maneja] :: many, here an inflected noun :: final a reduced to schwa and drops off by 1300

þohton [oxton] :: thought, Class I Weak Verb, inflected for a plural past, trans. "[they] thought" ::

þ th orth. Change

o o :: no change in ME

h gh :: orth. Change

on en e 0 :: loss due to inflectional reduction and reduction of past tense forms from OE to ME

þara [ara] of *þe :: change from an inflected demonstrative (gen. Plural) to a general article "the" and the preposition "of" ; thus, thara becomes "of the"

þinga [inga] þingis :: the reduction of a to i occurs in the leveling of inflections by 1100; the "s" is added for a plural inflection by analogy with all masculine a-stem nominative plural inflections

race [rache] ("narrative, account") word drops out

geendebyrdon [jeendbyrdn] ("ordered, ordained") word drops out

þe [] (uninflected relative particle, which or that) word drops out

on [on] on

us [us] us

gefyllede [jefyl:ed] fulfilled

synt [synt] were, form of the old paradigm of the verb to be; word drops out.

Swa [swa] :: so, used as conjunction :: medial w drops from many words after OE:: one of the few significant sound changes between OE and ME is [a] to [o], as in stanes to stones.

Middle English (c. 1390)

Forsoþe for many men enforsiden to ordeyne þe tellyng of þingis, whiche ben fillyd in vs as þei þat sayen at þe bigynnyng, & mynystris of þe word bitoken

f F :: orthographical change, capitalizaing first letters of sentences

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning eyewitnesses, ministers of the word;

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.