How to Write a Letter in Old English

How to Write a Letter in Old English thumbnail
Writing a letter in Old English is much like writing in any foreign language.

Writing a letter in Old English is much like writing a letter in any language. However, one must remember that Old English (aka Anglo-Saxon or Anglish) is a dead language, meaning that very few people aside from certain linguistics, English, and history scholars read or speak the language anymore. One exception could be members of re-enactment groups such as the Society for Creative Anachronism. Therefore, actually writing in Old English is more an academic enterprise, usually for learning the language, than a practical exercise.

Instructions

  1. Learn Old English

    • 1

      Learn Old English (OE). This first step is the most important part of writing a letter in the language. The best ways to learn the language are a) find a professor of English or history specializing in medieval languages, literature, or history at a local college, b) find such a professor offering online classes, or c) teaching oneself through OE grammars and dictionaries such as Moore & Knott's The Elements of Old English or Mitchell & Robinson's A Guide to Old English.

    • 2

      Write the letter in modern English (MnE) or OE. The former will require an extra step, but may be easier or faster. Writing directing in OE will require a strong grasp of OE vocabulary, so might take longer and will require more study time.

    • 3

      Translate the letter into OE, if it was written in MnE. This step is where a good dictionary or grammar is very useful. Even with a good dictionary, knowledge of OE is essential because of verb conjugations and noun declensions, some of which are not covered in dictionaries such as J.R. Clark Hall's A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary.

    • 4

      Transliterate the letter into Anglo-Saxon runes (futhorc, not futhark), if desired. To be truly authentic in appearance for some periods, the letter can be shifted from an alphabetical writing system (later OE era) to a runic writing system (earlier OE era). This transliteration should be conducted with a good guide to Anglo-Saxon runes, such as Stephen Pollington's Rudiments of Runelore.

    • 5

      Use the finished letter for the desired purpose. Given that OE is a dead language, perhaps the most common use of writing a letter in the language will be to learn OE. However, there are some other possible reasons, such as decoration, a prop for a live action or re-enactment group or play, or simply for one's own enjoyment and edification.

Tips & Warnings

  • Remember that OE word order isn't as important due to declining nouns.

  • Remember that OE hasn't been spoken/read except by specialists for roughly 900 years.

  • Whenever one translates or writes in OE, it is good to have multiple OE dictionaries/grammars on hand to cross-reference definitions.

  • Remember that OE is more like modern German than MnE, therefore someone who has no knowledge of OE will have significant trouble understanding the letter.

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References

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