{"product_id":"the-wordhord-daily-life-in-old-english-9780691232744","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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHana Videen \u003c\/b\u003ehas been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one a day. Now more than 20,000 people follow these gems from her wordhord. A writer and blogger, she holds a PhD in Old English from King's College London and lives in Toronto. Website www.oldenglishwordhord.com Twitter @OEWordhord\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50615936876818,"sku":"9780691232744","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_24e08d1d-028f-495f-941f-46dfe1948181.jpg?v=1732500421","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-wordhord-daily-life-in-old-english-9780691232744","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}