5. Stylistic Stratification of the Old English Vocabulary

Extant OE texts fall into a number of genres: poetic, religious, legal, and

neutral. Modern philologists subdivide OE words into three stylistically distinct

groups: neutral words, learned words and poetic words.

Neutral words were characterised by the highest frequency of occurrence,

wide use in word-formation and historical stability. The majority of these words

have been preserved to the present day. Most words of this group are of native

origin (OE mann, stān, blind, drincan, bēon, etc.)

Learned words are found in texts of religious, legal, philosophical or

scientific character. Among learned words there were many borrowings from Latin,

e.g.: L. animæ domus “dwelling of the soul”.

Poetic words in OE are of special interest: OE poetry employs a very

specific vocabulary. A cardinal characteristic of OE poetry is its wealth of

synonyms. In BEOWULF, for instance, there are thirty-seven words for the

concept “warrior”, twelve for “battle”, seventeen for “sea”. Among the poetic

names for “hero” are beorn, rinc, secg, þegn and many metaphoric

circumlocutions (“kennings”)—compounds used instead of simple words: gārberend,

lit. “spear-carrier”, gar-wiga—“spear –warrior”. These compounds were

used as stylistic devices—for ornament, for expressive effect, to bring out and

emphasize a certain quality, and for the sake of alliteration.

Probably many poetic words were already archaic in late OE; some of the

kennings were trite, conventional metaphors, while others were used only once in a

certain text and therefore cannot be included in the basic OE vocabulary. And yet

they constitute a unique feature of OE poetry and the OE language. Together with

the decline of the genre OE poetic words went out of use.

17

Questions for Self-control

1. What etymological layers are distinguished within the OE vocabulary?

2. Why does the OE vocabulary contain so few borrowings from the Celtic

languages of Britain? Why do place-names constitute a substantial part of Celtic

element?

3. From lists of Latin loan-words in OE speculate on the kind of contacts the

English had with Rome at different historical periods.

4. What facts can be given to prove that OE was generally resistant to borrowing

and preferred to rely upon its own resources?

5. What groups of borrowings can you speak about as regards OE? Supply some

examples.

6. What word building means do you know? Which of them existed in OE?

Name the most productive of them. Supply some examples.