Old English

No one knows how to speak Old English any more, Zerox.

Hi Mister Micawber,

That is true. Yet, since Old English texts are more or less like phonetic transcriptions, I am sure you could speak 'Old English' if you read a passage from an Old English text while keeping in mind that some changes have taken place in the realisation of some of the sounds. There are tapes available with spoken 'Old English'.

Englishuser

Old English texts are not phonetic transcriptions. However, we can make
good guesses at how it was pronounced based on our knowledge of the
languages around it.

Hi Alinevoord,

You said:

Old English texts are not phonetic transcriptions.

That's why I wrote:

more or less like phonetic transcriptions

There was no established spelling system in use in the Old English period. So, Alienvoord, how did people write back then?

Englishuser

There was no established spelling system in use in the Old English period. So, Alienvoord, how did people write back then?

With the Roman alphabet and some additional runic letters.

Hi Alienvoord,

You wrote:

My understanding is that we can only be sure how OE was pronounced based on our knowledge of sound change and our knowledge of the values the letters had in Latin. Is there another way?

I agree with you. That's how we can assume how Old English was spoken. What I meant was that people spelt as they spoke: there were no or very few 'irregul