ASSIGNMENT 1/ BEOWULF/ GOMEZ, CAROL

1. When was Old English spoken?
- Old English was spoken and also written in parts of what are now England and Scotland, between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.


2. Name 4 language groups which influenced the development of Old English.
- Germanic influence (vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar)
- Lantin influence (patterns of linguistic)
- Norse influence (Scandinavian words introduced during the Viking invasions and place names)
- Celtic influence (small influence)


3. In the Phonology section, name 5 phonetical differences between Old English & Modern English.
- In the chart of old English, the sound /ʒ/ is not included.
- Plosive velar sounds in old English are /k/ and /g/.
- In modern English they are /k/ and /y/.
- /g/ sound is not included in modern English.
- /ç/ sound is not included in modrn English.

4. Are there any similarites between Old English and Modern English? Name them.
- It is believed that the word order in old English was subject-verb-object, as in modern English and most Germanic languages.

5. In the Orthography section, enlarge the picture of the runic alphabet. How many letters (runes) are there in this alphabet?
- There are 34 runes in the alphabet.

6. Which epic poem was originally written in Old English?
- It was Beowulf the epic poem written in English, and one of the most important writings.

7. In the See Also section, click on: Beowulf. Appoximately when was Beowulf written?
- It dates from between the 8th to the 11th century.

8. Even though Beowulf was written in England, the story takes place in which countries?
- It takes place in Scandinavia.

9. In the poem, which 3 antagonists does Beowulf battle or fight against?
- He fights against Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon.

10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the story?
- He is mortally wounded and buried in a barrow by the sea.

11. Who was the author of Beowulf?
- Beowulf is an epic poem of unknown authorship.

12. What were the titles and the dates of the two film versions of Beowulf?
- Beowulf (2007)
- Beowulf: Prince of the Geats (2008)