Monday, October 13, 2008
Latin and the Bayeux
We have been talking about language families around here lately in preparation for our beginning study of Latin together. (More on that later!) Today we took a look at how English, derived from Germanic, came to have so many Latin influenced words in it.
It all goes way back to the rule of King Edward the Confessor in England. After said Edward died, there was a dispute over who was rightfully next in line for the throne. One man, Harold Godwinson, was English and elected by English nobles to be king. The other man, William, lived in Normandy in France. He claimed the throne had been promised to him by King Edward himself. Predictably, war ensued. At the Battle of Hastings, Ol Howard was shot in the eye with an arrow and he died. Voila! A Frenchman, who became known as William the Conqueror, wins the throne in England. Of course he spoke French as did his court and his successors for the next 200 or so years. So, over the centuries, the old Anglo-Saxon, or English, language mixed with French and borrowed many words from French.
French, by the way is derived from Latin, so these borrowed words came from Latin as well. Thanks France! Latin, The Statue of Liberty, fries and dressings...what next? They really have been too good to us. But I digress..back to language. So, this is how our English language came to have so many Latin derived words-about 60% they tell me.
After reading about Harold and William some more, we visited a couple web sites to view the Bayeux Tapestry which is a piece of embroidery created between 1070 and 1080 which stretches over 230 ft. in length and depicts events from the Battle of Hastings and William's conquest there.
Go to see the real tapestry here and then have some fun at this unique site where you can click and drag images copied from the actual tapestry to make your own scenes. You can even add your own text to the story. If you haven't gotten quite enough by that point, be sure to watch the cool animated Bayeux tapestry below. Some people are so talented!
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3 comments:
I have always loved this beautiful tapestry... the animation is INCREDIBLE! Do you know how hard it was to find a good copy and translation in the age before the internet? Now here it is, animated on You Tube. One click. I am amazed.
Oh, what the young people come up with these days...
We are reading a book right now called "Adam of the Road" about a little boy minstrel and his father who travel about England singing in the courtly language of the time.. French, of course.
The grown-ups here have enjoyed the book 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth. It really sets the scene, gets into the minds of the characters, and helps you to fully imagine this pivotal moment in the history of the world. Wow! Book report.
http://www.amazon.com/1066-Year-Conquest-David-Howarth/dp/0140058508
Why not get the Bayeux on a duvet? Then you can teach history from your bed. Now that I've seen this post, I am convinced you can see anything on the internet.
I am off to order some unicorn bacon! I'll let you know how it tastes.
It really is spectacular, isn't it? The work that went into it is mind boggling! It always amazes me that such treasures manage to survive the years.
Thank you for the book recs. I will look into those. Always searching for quality lit. around here!
Yes, I would enjoy schooling from my bed! You are so smart! I will go google a bayeux duvet right now. And I will have seen it all when I actually find one!
P.S. A little tip..unicorn bacon tastes best when cooked with griffin eggs!
Wow, talk about history coming to life! That was really cool. Thanks for posting this.
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