The shaky handwriting of the thirteenth-century scribe known as the "tremulous hand of Worcester" is well known to scholars and students of Old and early Middle English. This book examines the full range of the scribe's work and answers such important questions as why he glossed the words he did and how well he knew or came to know Old English. This first full-scale study of the subject provides a wealth of information about the state of the English language at a transitional point in its history.

Christine Franzen

IRL Press at Oxford University Press

Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

German Historical Institute London

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Oxford [England], Auckland [N.Z, 1991

Oxford, 1991-09-12

Illustrated, 1991

1, PS, 1991

Includes bibliographical references (p. [200]-209) and indexes.
Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.).

The shaky handwriting of the 13th-century scribe known as ‘the tremulous hand of Worcester’ appears in at least twenty manuscripts dating from the late 9th to the 12th century, glossing perhaps 50,000 Old English words, sometimes into Middle English, but much more often into Latin. This book examines the full range of the scribe's work and addresses some important questions, such as which of the Worcester glosses may be attributed to him, why he glossed the words he did, what the purpose of the glossing may have been, and how well he knew or came to know Old English. It argues that the scribe went through a methodical learning process, one step of which was the preparation of a first-letter alphabetical English-Latin word list, the earliest known in the English language. This first full-scale study of the Worcester glosses is important for the wealth of information it provides about the work methods of the tremulous scribe, the English language at a transitional point in its history, and about the ability to read Old English in the 13th century

Examines the work of a 13th-century scribe, known as the "tremulous hand of Worcester", who glossed some 50,000 Old English words into Latin and Middle English. The book attempts to answer questions regarding his methods, use of sources, knowledge of Old English and the purpose of his glossing.

xviii, 229 p. : 23 cm
Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.)
Includes bibliographical references (p. [200]-209) and indexes

Christine Franzen. Based On The Author's Thesis (ph. D.). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [200]-209) And Indexes.

2024-07-01