1. SSR 20 SSR Show the students "Up Battles Aging like . . . Bewowulf?"
2. Announce tomorrow's test.
3. Show Chaucer PowerPoint.
4. Let students play with the first 16 lines of The Canterbury Tales General Prologue using the following:
How to Read and Speak Middle English
By Jonathan Dewbre
The written form of Middle English was used from the twelfth to the fifteenth century in works such as "The Canterbury Tales" and "Gawain and the Green Knight." Because modern English spelling and pronunciation had not yet been cemented, Middle English may look alien to us today. However, even somebody who has never studied medieval literature can learn how to read it.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions:
1. Select an easy text, such as the prologue to "The Canterbury Tales." A good version of Chaucer's work will include many footnotes for words that no longer occur in modern English.
2. Speak each word out loud. This is the easiest way to become familiar with Middle English. Words that are spelled strangely often become recognizable when heard aloud.
3. Pronounce every consonant, even those that seem like they should be silent. ("Droghte" sounds like "drog-tuh.") Because spelling did not become uniform until the 15th century, words in Middle English were usually spelled like they sounded. "Kn’s, " "Gh’s, " and silent "E’s" at the end of words are all voiced in Middle English. There are no silent vowels or consonants. Whew!!
4. Learn additional rules about consonants. "R's" should be rolled. "S's" sound like "hiss," not like "hizz." "Gh" in "knight" sounds like "kuh-niCK-tuh."
5. Learn how to pronounce Middle English vowels. Some examples:
A word with a long "a," like "name," is pronounced "nAH-muh."
A word with a long "e," like "sweete," is pronounced "swAY-tuh."
A word with an open "e" like "begge (beg)" is pronounced "bag(uh)"
Words with a long "i" or "y," like "shires," "nyght," and "child, " are pronounced "shEE-res," "nEECK-tuh," and "chEEled."
The "au" in "cause" makes the word sound like "cOW-suh."
The "ow" in the word "fowles" makes the word sound like "fOO-les."
A word with an "ou," like "loude (loud)," is pronounced "lewd-uh."
A word with an "oo," like "good," is pronounced "goad."
A word with an open "o" sound, like "holy," is pronounced "hAW-ly."
Read more: How to Read and Speak Middle English | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2138664_read-speak-middle-english.html#ixzz1BMZ2INKS
Homework Collected: Independent Movie Viewing assignment
