The Vocabulary
of the Gawain-Poet
My comments on vocabulary fall into two categories: literary significance
and readability.
Literary Significance
A rough breakdown of the origins of the words in Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight reveal that, although about 60% of the
words come from Old English, just over a quarter come from French
and just under 10% from Old Norse. These numbers are not surprising;
many loanwords from French and Old Norse were in common use all
over the country by the fourteenth century. However, the dialect
of the Gawain-poet is notable for its high proportion of
words of Old Norse origin which were not widespread. Such words
are often found in alliterating syllables, suggesting that they
were in part a poetic, rather than a regional vocabulary (though
the two are not always mutually exclusive). The Scandinavian element
in the language is not the only conspicuous feature in this capacity:
numerous words of Old English origin which were no longer used appear
in the poem, perhaps as 'poetic archaisms'. It may be possible to
talk about a regional poetic vocabulary in the poem, which may affect
how we interpret the poem's themes.
It is also noteworthy that, enough of the French vocabulary in
the poem is of a technical or current nature to suggest that the
poet was fully informed of the wider literary culture of the England
of his day. Of course, this type of statement is supported by literary,
as well as linguistic evidence.
Readability
The greatest barrier to the readability of the Gawain-poet's
work for modern students is the archaic, dialectal, or poetic vocabulary
(however you class it) which is not in the standard language of
today. In some parts of the poems there is also use of heavy technical
jargon, such as the hunt scene in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
(how many of you know the technical terms, even in Modern English,
for how to butcher a deer?). We are forced to rely on the glossary
for this. I recommend taking some conscious step to learn the strange
vocabulary, such as writing the meanings of the words in the margin
or making flashcards. You want to avoid looking up the same word
multiple times, if possible.
You will inevitably find yourself looking up words you don't recognise,
only to find that they are average, non-technical, non-archaic words
you use every day, and that you have simply been fooled by the spelling.
If this makes you feel stupid, channel your humiliation into learning
the spelling system better.
The problem will go away, and you'll end up spending far less time
going to the back of the book.
That's it! You're done! Go read (and enjoy) the poetry....
Last
Update:
10 August, 2004
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