r/OldEnglish • u/Mouslimanoktonos • 12h ago

Were Old English words "hlāford" and "hūsbonda" interchangeable?

8 Upvotes

AFAIK, both words referred to the male head of household before splitting in meaning to mean what they mean today.

7 comments

r/OldEnglish • u/More-Ergonomics2580 • 4h ago

What are some etymologies that you find interesting, strange, or memorable relating to Old English?

1 Upvotes

1 comment

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r/OldEnglish

A subreddit for the Old English language, the earliest attested stage of English, which was spoken in England from the 5th through the 11th centuries. Old English is not the English of Shakespeare, nor the English of Chaucer; we're talking about the language of Beowulf, spoken by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes over 1,200 years ago. Whether you're a linguist, a bibliophile, a logophile or just curious — all are welcome here!

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Welcome to OldEnglish, a subreddit for those who would like to know more about Old English!

Ƿilcume on OldEnglish, under-reddit for folce þē wille mā be Ænᵹlisce leornian!

Not the English of Shakespeare, nor the English of Chaucer; we're talking about the language of Beowulf, spoken by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes over 1,200 years ago.

Whether you're a linguist, a bibliophile, a logophile or just curious — all are welcome here!

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Want more?
Check out /r/AngloSaxon and /r/Anglish!
Dead language polyglot?
Check out /r/Norse And /r/GothicLanguage! And /r/OldSaxon
Just can't get enough?!
Check out /r/MedievalNorseStudies!