Product Description

A book/CD pack, 'Teach Yourself Old English (Anglo-Saxon)' is a self-access course for the independent adult learner who wants to learn to read Old English (Anglo-Saxon) texts in the original. Texts of literary and historical interest are used to introduce the language, which is then explained in simple modern English, as it is not assumed that the student has learned a foreign language before. Exercises - written, audio, and pictorial - are used to reinforce learning. Short 'cultural context' items bring the culture of medieval England to life, and explain the relevance of Old English language and literature to speakers of modern English. Selected extracts in Old English feature on the audio CD.

This CD to accompany the book has been specially recorded by teachers of Old English. Each track corresponds to a unit of the book and provides a recording of the main text(s) selected for study in that unit.

 

On tracks 1-3 (units 1-3) the texts are repeated phrase by phrase, giving time to practise pronunciation and master the sounds of the language.

 

Hearing the texts read out loud allows the reader to appreciate the rhythm and style of the original documents. It facilitates the reading process, highlights the connections with modern English, and makes the language easier to learn.

The accompanying double CD (0340 915064) is available separately, as is the book (0340 915048).

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9494 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

About the Author
Dr Mark Atherton is Tutor in Old and Middle English at Regent's Park College, Oxford. He has taught English as a Foreign Language at universities in Germany and Belgium, and German and French to English speakers.

---

Customer Reviews

Old English Made Easy
So why does this particular Old English course stand out from the rest? Often an Old English course is very grammar-intense and the learner is faced with learning all kinds of grammatical structures arranged in tables. Not so this course. The very first unit presents the learner with a genuine piece of Old English (from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle), so we come face to face with genuine Old English from the start. Supporting the linguistic information is plenty of interesting detail about Anglo-Saxon life in general and information on the source texts. A highly recommended first course for anyone wishing to delve into the treasures of the bedrock of our language.

Best place to start
If, like me, you are a complete novice, not particularly experienced in learning foreign languages, and just felt you wanted to start dipping your toe into the rich linguistic heritage of modern English, then this is the book for you!

I bought it due to the previous review on Amazon, and it was perfect - gets you reading simple sections very quickly, with interesting historical notes giving you a feel for the culture. The grammar is not at all heavy, and perfectly understandable for a non-linguist. The accompanying CD make pronunciation a whole lot easier, but is not necessary if you just want to get going on reading.

Other books I have looked at since would have been totally impenetrable if I hadn't started with this one!

Quite simply the best simple introduction available
Of the several Old English primers I have tried, this volume in the "Teach Yourself" series stands head and shoulders above its rivals. The language is introduced as a medium of communication from the very first chapter. Grammar is not skimped, but is introduced throughout the course as required to understand the texts, which is a much easier way for a non-linguist (such as myself) to learn than the classical method in which one is presented with table after table of grammatical forms before ever encountering an actual text. The latter method may be appropriate for the dedicated language student, but it is very hard going for those of us who love this most beautiful and expressive of languages, and would like to learn enough to deepen our appreciation, but who lack the resources of the full time student.
The texts are well chosen to illustrate important aspects of Anglo saxon cultural life, and supported by interesting expanatory cultural notes. One particular highlight is the CD accompanying the book - after all, the language was used in a strongly oral culture, and it is wonderful to hear reasonable length extracts read aloud, rather than the one sentence sound bites that accompany some courses. I particularly liked the use of two speakers, one of whom is a woman - it is so rare to hear a female speaker of Old English, and it sounds wonderful to my ear.
In summary, I could not recommend this book more highly. Dr Atherton has done a great job of making Old English more accessible to the non specialist. This book will give a good grounding in the basics, from which the student will be well equipped to broaden their study. I only wish that he and his lady colleague on the CD could be persuaded to produce a follow-on volume with more examples of Old English material from a broad range of sources and times.