{"product_id":"the-wordhord-daily-life-in-old-english-9780691237183","title":"The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn entertaining and illuminating collection of weird, wonderful, and downright baffling words from the origins of English--and what they reveal about the lives of the earliest English speakers\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOld English is the language you think you know until you actually hear or see it. Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer's Middle English, Old English--the language of \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e--defies comprehension by untrained modern readers. Used throughout much of Britain more than a thousand years ago, it is rich with words that haven't changed (like \u003ci\u003eword\u003c\/i\u003e), others that are unrecognizable (such as \u003ci\u003eneorxnawang\u003c\/i\u003e, or paradise), and some that are mystifying even in translation (\u003ci\u003egafol-fisc\u003c\/i\u003e, or tax-fish). In this delightful book, Hana Videen gathers a glorious trove of these gems and uses them to illuminate the lives of the earliest English speakers. We discover a world where choking on a bit of bread might prove your guilt, where fiend-ship was as likely as friendship, and where you might grow up to be a laughter-smith. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wordhord \u003c\/i\u003etakes readers on a journey through Old English words and customs related to practical daily activities (eating, drinking, learning, working); relationships and entertainment; health and the body, mind, and soul; the natural world (animals, plants, and weather); locations and travel (the source of some of the most evocative words in Old English); mortality, religion, and fate; and the imagination and storytelling. Each chapter ends with its own \"wordhord\"--a list of its Old English terms, with definitions and pronunciations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEntertaining and enlightening, \u003ci\u003eThe Wordhord \u003c\/i\u003ereveals the magical roots of the language you're reading right now: you'll never look at--or speak--English in the same way again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/10\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691237183\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 296","brand":"Hana Videen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43084108071093,"sku":"9780691237183","price":12.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_5fb7f7a2-6e37-4989-a453-6e54fabeb2fe.jpg?v=1692110562","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-wordhord-daily-life-in-old-english-9780691237183","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}