Beowulf is probably the most relevant and easiest to find in various evolutions, you can also find spoken versions in Old, Middle, and modern. Chaucer’s stories are also popular if you find the Old English too dense, Middle English is obviously a lot more approachable.
…English is only 30% or so French, and essentially just adjectives. Take out adjectives and we are German babies.
And most of the French has Germanic synonyms.
It’s actually pretty fascinating to sit down with a work translated from Old to Middle to Modern English and see the language drift in action.
I will have to try that sometime. What’s a good piece of literature to look at that a beginner could visually make sense of?
Beowulf is probably the most relevant and easiest to find in various evolutions, you can also find spoken versions in Old, Middle, and modern. Chaucer’s stories are also popular if you find the Old English too dense, Middle English is obviously a lot more approachable.
Thanks for this. I will have to give it a shot.
Forgot we read this in high school