Old English.

1. When was Old English spoken?

between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.

2. Name 4 language groups which influenced the development of Old English.

Germanic language, Latin, Viking and Celtic.

3. In the Phonology section, name 5 phonetical differences between Old English & Modern English.

- f (v) = fricative, labiodental
- θ (ð) = fricative, dental
- s (z) = fricative, alveolar
- tʃ (dʒ) = affricative, postalveolar
- (ç) = fricative, palatal

4. Are there any similarites between Old English and Modern English? Name them.

In both languages the articles and the prepositions are before the noun.

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

There are 34 letters or runes.

6. Which epic poem was originally written in Old English?

Beowulf.

7. In the See Also section, click on: Beowulf. Appoximately when was Beowulf written?

Between the 8th to the 11th century.

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

Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia.

9. In the poem, which 3 antagonists does Beowulf battle or fight against?

Grendel, a Dragon, Grendel's mother.

10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the story?

Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but only one of the warriors, a brave young man named Wiglaf, stays to help Beowulf, because the rest are too afraid. Beowulf kills the dragon with Wiglaf's help, but Beowulf dies from the wounds he has received.

11. Who was the author of Beowulf?

An anonymous author.

12. What were the titles and the dates of the two film versions of Beowulf?

Beowulf has been adapted a number of times for other novels, theater, and cinema, including the 1999 film Beowulf (1999 film) with Christopher Lambert and Rhona Mitra,
the 2005 film Beowulf and Grendel and the 2007 animated film Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis.