Richard Dance • Words derived from Old Norse in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Richard Dance • Words derived from Old Norse in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Etymological Survey, Volume 1

The influence of the Scandinavian languages on early English vocabulary is profound and fascinating — nowhere more so than in the rich and difficult lexis of alliterative poetry composed in the North and North Midlands of England. Probably the best-known instance is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which contains no fewer than 496 different words whose forms, meanings or usage have variously been explained as showing Old Norse input. But these words have never been collected and examined as a complete group before. This survey is the first full analysis of this important body of material, conducted in accordance with a groundbreaking new system of etymological classification, and with references to all relevant previous scholarship. It is the most rigorous description ever undertaken of the Scandinavian influence on the vocabulary of a major Middle English text, and a new model for the collection and analysis of Norse loans in any English source.
The most rigorous description ever undertaken of the Scandinavian influence on the vocabulary of a major Middle English text, and a new model for the collection and analysis of Norse loans in any English source.

• A new survey of the etymological evidence for nearly 500 words in one of the most famous and important Middle English poems
• Conducted in accordance with a groundbreaking new system of etymological classification, and with references to all relevant previous scholarship going back to the nineteenth century
• Contains new insights into the etymologies, forms, meanings and textual interpretation of hundreds of Middle English words
• Includes a new introduction to the scholarly study of the Old Norse influence on English vocabulary, including a detailed discussion of methodologies