English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present DaySkeat, Walter W. (Walter William)
History
English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day
Skeat, Walter W. (Walter William)
English language -- Dialects
In the year 1340, Dan Michel of Northgate (Kent) translated into
English a French treatise on Vices and Virtues, under the title _The
Ayenbite of Inwyt_, literally, "The Again-biting of In-wit," i.e.
Remorse of Conscience. This is the best specimen of the Kentish
dialect of the fourteenth century, and is remarkable for being much
more difficult to make out than other pieces of the same period. The
whole work was edited by Dr Morris for the Early English Text Society
in 1866. A sermon of the same date and in the same dialect, and
probably by the same author, is given in _Specimens of Early English_,
Part II. The sermon is followed by the Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria,
and the "Credo" or Apostles' Creed, all in the same dialect; and I
here give the last of these, as being not difficult to follow:
Ich leve ine God, Vader almighti, makere of hevene and of erthe.
And ine Iesu Crist, His zone onlepi [_only son_], oure lhord, thet
y-kend [_conceived_] is of the Holy Gost, y-bore of Marie mayde,
y-pyned [_was crucified_, lit. _made to suffer_] onder Pouns Pilate,
y-nayled a rode [_on a cross_], dyad, and be-bered; yede [_went_]
doun to helle; thane thridde day aros vram the dyade; steay [_rose,
ascended_] to hevenes; zit [_sitteth_] athe [_on the_] right half
of God the Vader almighti; thannes to comene He is, to deme the
quike and the dyade. Ich y-leve ine the Holy Gost; holy cherche
generalliche; Mennesse of halyen [_communion of holy-ones_];
Lesnesse of zennes [_remission of sins_]; of vlesse [_flesh, body_]
arizinge; and lyf evrelestinde. Zuo by hyt [_so be it_].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account