{"product_id":"king-arthur-and-the-languages-of-britain-examining-the-linguistic-evidence-9781350443105","title":"King Arthur and the Languages of Britain: Examining the Linguistic Evidence","description":"\u003cb\u003eMedievalists have denied the historical existence of King Arthur for over 50 years\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003ci\u003eArthur and the Languages of Britain\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates how linguistic evidence can be employed to see if the earliest historical records that mention Arthur are reliable.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe book begins with an analysis of the evidence for the Anglo-Saxon invasions and the response of the Britons, and introduces the main methodological approaches employed in the linguistic analysis of historical records. It then provides evidence for Arthur as a Cumbric-speaker active in the region about Hadrian's Wall, before assessing the linguistic evidence which supports the validity of the references to Arthur in the \u003ci\u003eWelsh Annals\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eHistoria Brittonum\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Bernard Mees reflects on how Arthur is recorded as having taken part in the Battle of Mount Badon, a site that has never been located, and dying at Camlann, now Castlesteads on Hadrian's Wall. He uses linguistic analysis of the evidence recorded for the existence of Arthur to support the historical reliability of these records. Mees concludes with a summary of how Geoffrey of Monmouth created pseudo-historical stories from the references to Arthur in these early sources, turning Ambrosius Aurelianus into Merlin and Mordred into King Arthur's nephew and the lover of his queen Guinevere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBernard Mees \u003c\/b\u003ehas taught history, linguistics and business at the University of Melbourne, Australia, RMIT University, Australia and the University of Tasmania, Australia, and is currently an academic visitor at Uppsala University, Sweden. His most recent book is \u003ci\u003eThe English Language Before England\u003c\/i\u003e (2023) and he is a member of the editorial board of \u003ci\u003eNOWELE\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51623860961554,"sku":"9781350443105","price":126.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_191877b2-27b9-40dd-be33-aee7760cb806.jpg?v=1758647252","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/king-arthur-and-the-languages-of-britain-examining-the-linguistic-evidence-9781350443105","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}