Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson, A Guide to Old English.

(7
th
ed.). Oxford:
Blackwell 2007 (1964). 432 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-4690-6 (pbk).
During the last few years, considerable contributions have been made to work on
the evolution of the English language. This includes the publication of indispensable
works, which may be devoted either to a comprehensive account, such as Hogg and
Denison (2006), or a particular stage in its development. Early Modern English has
recently been covered by Nevalainen (2006), a work which has delved into a period of
crucial importance to our understanding of English as we know it today. This period
remains under-researched nevertheless, except for monographs by Grlach (1991
[1978]), Barber (1997 [1976]), and the corresponding volume of The Cambridge
History of the English Language, edited by Roger Lass (1999). Likewise, it may be
noted that the publishers of the work by Mitchell and Robinson have also promoted
substantial contributions to the earliest diachronic stages in the development of the
English language, such as Burrow and Turville-Petre (2000 [1992]).
All this shows renewed interest in the study of the evolution of the English
language, both external and internal, which also holds true of the Old English
period. Thus both scholars and students will likewise welcome the publication
of the seventh, updated and revised edition of the classic work by Mitchell and
Robinson, A Guide to Old English (2007 [1964]). Not only have these well-known
authors successively up-dated one of their most signifcant contribution to the study
of Old English, but have also provided scholars with other valuable resources for
the study of this diachronic variety just by way of example, we might refer to
Mitchell (1994, 1988, 1985), or Robinson (1994, 1993, 1970). Because Mitchell
and Robinsons is a classic guide to the study of Old English, we feel that we
should consider two aspects: frst, the reasons why this has continued to be so for
more than forty years; and second, the additions introduced in the latest edition so
far with a view to improving the book and making it more comprehensive.
The work has maintained the overall structure of previous editions, retaining a
frst part dealing with the structural study of the language and the second offering an
anthology of Old English texts. Accordingly, the frst part is organised as follows.
The work opens with an introductory section, How to Use this Guide, which
illustrates the instructive and user-friendly nature that characterises the work. This
section outlines the frst steps in the morphological and syntactic analysis of texts,
thus, the section tackles the different paradigms that are relevant for the analysis
of utterances, depending on the word type or part of speech concerned. Chapter
One then offers an overview of Old English by introducing its characteristics and
periodisation.
Chapter Two covers the most signifcant characteristics of orthography
and pronunciation, as the frst level of linguistic analysis by way of offering a
comprehensive description of the language and providing a contrastive analysis with
English as we now know it. A particularly noteworthy feature of the phonological
and phonetic coverage is that sound changes are not seen as an independent or
abstract system but contextualised for mastering the irregularities of the various
declensions and conjugations. This enables the reader to trace the interrelations
between the linguistic systems that shape the language, since none of them can be
adequately understood in isolation.
Under the heading of Infexions, Chapter Three takes up Old English
morphology, probably the most important level of linguistic description in a highly
synthetic language. As in previous editions, the infectional paradigms of nouns,
Bruce Mitchell & Fred C. Robinson, A Guide to Old English. (7th. ed.) 607
adjectives, verbs and pronouns are commented upon. This means that the remarks
provided by Mitchell and Robinson enable the student to make connections, draw
inferences, and identify similarities and differences, so that the learner can achieve
full understanding of those aspects that demand memorisation, rather than relying
mainly on rote-learning.
Chapter Four raises the main subjects connected with Old English lexis and
semantics, focussing above all upon word formation, since procedures such as
compounding and affxation, both in the form of prefxes and suffxes, were the
most important means of creating vocabulary in Old English.
Chapter Five explains the most relevant aspects of the syntax of Old English,
covering the main differences between Old and Modern English, word order,
sentence structure, subordinate clauses, parataxis, the main cases to be found in
agreement or concord in the use of the cases of nouns, adjectives and pronouns, as
well as the main rules and exceptions concerning the agreement between subject
and verb. Lastly, it provides a description of the syntactic features of the verb;
the use of tenses, both conjugated and resolved, as well as the uses of the modal
auxiliary verbs.
Chapters Six and Seven provide the scholar and the researcher with an overview of
current developments in Anglo-Saxon studies and with an introductory bibliography.
These will enable readers to further expand their knowledge of the language, as
well as the literature and culture of Old English speakers. In particular, the select
bibliography, which is briefy commented upon, has been thoroughly updated.
The work also maintains the Appendices found in previous editions, such as
a list of the Old English strong verbs and an illustration of the main effects of i-
mutation upon the word categories of nouns, adjectives and verbs. Additions that
will surely be welcomed by scholars have been incorporated into this frst part, the
most interesting improvements and substantial additions of which include a revision
of Appendix C, devoted to a study of Old English metre, and the introduction of
some new appendices. The latter have to do with an explanatory list of linguistic
terms (Appendix D), and a brief appendix that reviews the main uses of the various
moods of Old English verbs: indicative, imperative, infnitive and subjunctive
(Appendix E). We should like to note that our students have found this new section
particularly proftable and worthwhile, as it answers a recurrent question about the
analysis of Old English texts. Appendix D thus provides further reference material
that allows the quick resolution of doubts that may arise over the intended senses
of linguistic and grammatical terms used throughout the book.
The second part of the work contains an anthology of Old English prose and
verse texts, helpfully arranged in increasing order of complexity. In all cases, the
texts have been edited, and a helpful scholarly apparatus supplied. The footnotes
offer the relevant cultural or linguistic background to the passage, comment upon
signifcant linguistic aspects, or suggest possible translations into Modern English.
Where necessary, in particular in notes covering morphological or syntactic
aspects, they include a cross-reference to the relevant paragraph in the frst part of
the book. This represents a conscious effort by the authors to draw the necessary
relationships between theory and practice.
The second part of the book also offers an Old EnglishModern English glossary
comprising all lexemes found in the anthology. The glossary is geared towards self-
study, each entry including a reference to the texts in which the word or word-form
is to be found. This glossary has been expanded and updated, since this edition has
added some more Old English works either entire or as excerpts compared to
608
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previous versions of the Guide. Among these are a selection of Cotton Gnomes or
Maxims, as well as Wulfstans Sermo Lupi ad Anglos. Some of these works are
not easily found elsewhere. In other cases, the complete work has been included,
especially verse texts. All in all, they provide a thorough account of the language,
literature and culture of the Old English period. As in previous editions, each text
is preceded by a brief introduction, so that the reader may get a sense of what it is
about, and some background knowledge to guide analysis and translation.
As in previous editions, the work is furnished with two analytic indexes, devoted
to the most important subjects dealt with and to the main Old English words
discussed from a theoretical standpoint. A particularly useful point about the frst is
that it has been organised thematically, so that the relevant information is gathered
from categories logically related to each other and therefore easily traceable.
We should like to fnish by emphasising that this new edition of Mitchell and
Robinsons A Guide to Old English preserves and maintains the balance between
the scholarly standards that have made it the essential Old English textbook and the
explanatory detail and enlightening accounts which have made it user-friendly. In
our view, it will continue to be helpful for specialists in both Old English linguistics
and literature. It will provide an enlightening, comprehensive and rewarding manual
for this period of the history of the language. Thanks to Mitchell and Robinson,
readers will conclude that Old English, no matter how distant in time and different
it may appear, remains the substantive core of the English language as present-
day speakers know it. Through the knowledge of Old English, the readers of this
book will also achieve a fuller understanding of present-day English. Mitchell
and Robinsons work shows no gap between the two, the authors having striven
to illuminate the continuum through which the history of the language is to be
approached and enjoyed.
University of Zaragoza Maria Angeles Ruiz-Moneva
works cited
Barber, Charles (1997) [1976]. Early Modern English. London: Andr Deutsch (2
nd
ed).
Burrow, John.A. and Thorlac Turville-Petre (2000) [1992]. A Book of Middle English.
Oxford: Blackwell (2
nd
ed).
Grlach, Manfred (1991) [1978]. Introduction to Early Modern English. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Hogg, Richard M. and David Denison (2006). A History of the English Language. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Lass, Roger (ed.) (1999). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Vol. III: 1476-
1776. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mitchell, Bruce (1985). Old English Syntax. Vols. I and II. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Mitchell, Bruce (1988). On Old English. Selected Papers. Oxford: Blackwell.
Mitchell, Bruce (1994). An Invitation to Old English and Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Nevalainen, Terttu (2006). An Introduction to Early Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press.
Robinson, Fred C. (1970). Old English Literature. A Select Bibliography. Toronto: Toronto
University Press.
Robinson, Fred C. (1993). The Tomb of Beowulf and Other Essays on Old English. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Robinson, Fred C. (1994). The Editing of Old English. Oxford: Blackwell.