Learn Middle English

Share on Facebook

Lost_Between_Two_Worlds

#125534 Wed, 10 Aug 05 08:54 AM

Hello,

I'm Julia, a philologist, teacher, translator and what not... Smile [:)] I adore learning foreign languages and communicating with native speakers, but nowadays I am working in a small company with little possibilities of using my knowledge, so I try to practice languages reading books in the original and talking on different forums.

I collect idioms, proverbs, slang expressions, but I'm also interested in the theoretical side of linguistics (at the university we studied Language science, History of the language and the like, so sometimes I miss my student years... Sad [:(]

Can anybody give me the text of Chaucer's poem, which has such words: ...melodie, that slepen all the night with open eye...? I don't remember the name of the poem, but it may be from his "Canterbury Tales". I know that unlike Old English, Middle English had been much influenced by French borrowings, so the spelling is not phonetic. So, if you have its transcription, I will be very grateful.

My professor at the university read it out, and it was very beautiful and unusual (something like /melodai...neet....).

Thank you in advance,

Julia / Lost_Between_Two_Worlds/

Lost_Between_Two_Worlds

Joined on Mon, Aug 8 2005

The Russian Federation

New Member (19)

Imagine all the people living life in peace

Verbs, Universities, Idioms, Spelling, Expressions, Phonetics

LanguageLover

#125601 Wed, 10 Aug 05 12:14 PM

Hi Julia, welcome to the forums,

Your list of interests seem to be so similar to mine! Anyway, there are afew online middle English libraries, maybe you can find the rest of your poem there, in case there is none here who is aware of the poet and that particular poem. Here is one of them with plenty of Chaucer's tales: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/collections/languages/english/mideng.browse.html And this is the link to download Canterbury tales: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2383

Hope you find your poem there,

LanguageLover

Joined on Fri, Feb 25 2005

A proud Iranian living in the UAE

Contributing Member (1,393)

The similarities among the languages are more than their differences!

goldmund

#125623 Wed, 10 Aug 05 03:01 PM

Dear Julia,

It is an interesting passage. You may find it in the «Prologue». It is here at line nine:

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-old?id=Cha2Can&images=images/modeng&data=/lv1/Archive/mideng-parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1

Kind regards, Smile [:)]

Goldmund

goldmund

Joined on Fri, Jun 10 2005

Regular Member (581)

«Tout homme peut dire véritablement; mais dire ordonnément, prudemment et suffisamment, peu d'hommes le peuvent.» - Michel de Montaigne

Regards

Lost_Between_Two_Worlds

#125910 Thu, 11 Aug 05 08:14 AM

Dear LanguageLover and Goldmund,

Thank you very much, that was it! Big Smile [:D]

Middle English looks so unusual, like a mixture of English, German and French. It's a pity there wasn't transcription there.

If somebody here knows German and French, look at the poem: the words sonne, longen, wenden, engelond remind of German words; vertu, licour, tendre, seson, corage are of French origin; grammar forms are English.

If possible, I would also like a translation into Modern English. I suppose that understanding this text is difficult not only for foreigners, but also for native speakers.

Lost_Between_Two_Worlds

Grammar, Translation

OrlandoGreat

#358130 Mon, 30 Apr 07 06:42 PM

Here's a version with translation in Modern English alongside.

http://www.fourmertsocks.com/canterbury_tales.htm

Next time you remember a line and want to find out which poem it is, just type it into Google, and you'll almost certainly get the poem
: )

By the way, I, too, am interested in learning different languages. I'm a thirteen year old student, and I'm learning on my own, from the internet (I prefer to learn that way; it allows more freedom). The only language I do speak is English. I've been learning German for a few weeks now, and I'm quite satisfied with my progress. I tried Latin last year, but well, unlike German or other modern languages, I couldn't pursue it on a conversational level, so I've postponed it for the time being. Recently I've also taken up French, Esperanto, Greek, and Spanish. I'm still concentrating mainly on German though. Thought you'd like to know...

OrlandoGreat

Joined on Mon, Apr 30 2007

New York

New Member (01)

Translation

Anonymous

#439340 Tue, 06 Nov 07 04:29 AM

Julia -

It has been almost two years since you have posted this, but I caught your note because I am looking for others that are interested in Middle English. The "poem" you refer to is actually the Prologue to the "Canterbury Tales", probably part or all of the first 22 lines which are frequently read and quoted in college English classes in this country.

I have just finished reading the entire Canterbury Tales in Middle English. It is a very beautiful language in the hands of a master such as Chaucer, bringing to life a whole time that is long past and making a music that stands on its own, almost like the sound of an ancient instrument being played once again.

I hope you have found a recording of this and keep reading Chaucer. I would love to learn to speak the language,but........ There are far more useful ways to spend time I guess, huh?

Here's a link to some recordings of the Prologue, not the best pronunciation, but a start.

http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?LPID=14796

write me back gerwagner@gmail.com