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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Dec 24 2021, 9:21pm
Post #1 of 12
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MEVC Krystmasse euen Edition!
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Welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of Middle English Vocabulary Challenge (MEVC) This edition derives entirely from SGGK: In part, to honour the season in which the story lives; also, as a nod to David Lowery's brilliant film "The Green Knight" (2021). Though the texts are "as similar as two dissimilar peas in a pod," (Black Adder reference), fans of the tale are the richer for both treatments.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval tale spanning two consecutives Christmas seasons. In that day, games were played during holiday feasts just as they are now: by men wearing tights and armour (think NFL). As for this game, TORn has always been tights-optional (but not pants).
Here is a snippet of Professor Tolkien's work with SGGK, and perhaps a rationale for our game:
'...Wel bycommes such craft vpon Cristmasse,
Laykyng of enterludez, to laȝe and to syng,
Among þise kynde caroles of knyȝtez and ladyez.'*
The Rules:
This is a guessing game. For each of the following Middle English words, please provide a contemporary word or definition as you deem appropriate. No answers in subject lines please!
1. bigyne, v.
2. Nw Ȝer, n.
3. lortschyp, n.
4. louelokkest, adj. superl.
5. arȝe, v.
6. ferly, adj.
7. boȝez, n. pl.
8. þerwyth, adv.
9. worþy, adj.
10. herkken, v.
It's fair to say now, traditionally MEVC list-words are gleaned from the following works:
A) A Middle English Vocabulary, by J.R.R. Tolkien, as published in Sisam, Kenneth, ed. "Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose", London: Oxford University Press, 1955 (our game’s titular text); and
B) The Glossary published in Tolkien & Gordon ed. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, 2nd Edition Norman Davis ed., London: Oxford University Press, 1967. (source for *, lines 471-473 pg. 14)
Note: publication dates are of my copies; yours may be as old as 1922 and 1925 respectively.
Some advice:
None this time. Have at ȝe!
Use markup and html if you are copying and pasting here to your reply!
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Dec 24 2021, 9:24pm)
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oliphaunt
Lorien
Dec 25 2021, 9:01pm
Post #2 of 12
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1. to supersize, as in 'make mine a big-un'
2. noogie, aka knucklehead
3. cruise ship with novovirus outbreak
4. hot, as in 'phat'
5. groaning, like with arthritic knees
6. hairy, as in a sofa dogs lie on, leaving fur
7. golf score, over par
8. 'and guest' status, as in 'they're with me'
9. expensive (but worth it)
10. to hurl, esp. after overindulgence
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Dec 26 2021, 2:22am
Post #3 of 12
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ROFL. And some aren’t far from true! Thanks Oliphaunt..
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 27 2021, 5:48pm
Post #4 of 12
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Yeah, that's Swedish, but it does have a very medieval flavor! 
This is very appropriate, a Sir Gawain theme for the holiday! Things haven't changed much, have they, as people tune in to the modern-day jousting (jostling?) matches.
I notice the reference to "carols" in that snippet. Quoting concert notes for "Christmas Day: a Fantasy of Old Carols" by Gustav Holst, "The singing of carols has not always been a familiar sound during this season. For many years in England, the strictness of the Protestant Reformation silenced both the singing and the celebrations of the holiday. It was not until the eighteenth century that such hymn-writers as Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley were able to bring about a renewed interest in carol singing; it grew to be especially popular in Victorian times, and carols became much sought-after then."
Let the revelries begin! I've made a few broad guesses, here:
1. bigyne, v. - begin
2. Nw Ȝer, n. - new year
3. lortschyp, n. - lordship, his honor
4. louelokkest, adj. superl. - loveliest?
5. arȝe, v. - are, as in, to be?
6. ferly, adj. - fair?
7. boȝez, n. pl. - boys?
8. þerwyth, adv. - therewith, shortly after, right away
9. worþy, adj. - worthy
10. herkken, v. - Harken, to listen to
Thanks for the challenge, SirD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Dec 27 2021, 5:51pm
Post #5 of 12
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Especially your "bogies"!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Dec 27 2021, 6:40pm
Post #6 of 12
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Quite a few correct. Thank you for the note about carols. Hardly thought there were any before Victorian times as many of the great, deeply traditional hymns sprang, pent up as it were.
I wonder if this game should be on main? I only just noticed, after all these years, that quizzes belong there. (I’ll let you decide whether to move it.)
Happy Nw 3er derwyn!
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Jan 5 2022, 10:32pm
Post #7 of 12
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Sorry to leave this so long. Judging by dernwyn's and oliphaunt's answers, this list was challenging, and good for conjuring!
Here is how JRRT glossed the list, more or less:
1. bigyne, v. - begin
2. Nw Ȝer, n. - New Year
3. lortschyp, n. - lordship, command
4. louelokkest, adj. superl. - fairest (loveliest)
5. arȝe, v. - to be terrified
6. ferly, adj. - extraordinary, unusual (adv. wondrously, exceedingly)
7. boȝez, n. pl. - boughs
8. þerwyth, adv. - (together) with it, thereupon
9. worþy, adj. - worthy, of value, honoured, noble
10. herkken, v. - to hear, listen
Just some notes (I'm sure our prof. kept many):
3. "lort" - in choirs I have belonged to, vocalists are encouraged to sing "lord" as "lort", which is more easily enunciated with one's mouth wide open.
4. There has been some discussion here, on a time, of Tolkien's use of the word "fair" to mean blonde or light. Though glossed fair, our list word is clearly related to loveliest (love+look+est?)
5. argh! for afraid? it would seem oliphaunt was onto something with "groaning." (Like if the interjection "ow" (ouch) was an early form of "hurt"; "I got an owie" is perfectly understood by children.)
Hope you enjoyed this, thank you to players and lurkers alike.
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oliphaunt
Lorien
Jan 6 2022, 1:28pm
Post #8 of 12
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I'm just old enough to have the Monty Python and the Holy Grail in the theater. And I recall the Castle of Aargh, which was indeed a terrifying place.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Jan 7 2022, 12:08am
Post #9 of 12
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There is no better authority than Monty Python
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Still, here are related listings from "A Concise Dictionary of Middle English" (1888?):
Arwe, _sb._ arrow, NED; arewe, S2; arwes, _pl._ S2, C2, P; arewis, W2; arowis, W2.—AS. _arwe_ for *_arhwe_; cp. Goth. _arhwazna_, arrow, the thing belonging to the bow, from *_arhw_ = Lat. _arcus_. Arwe, _adj._ cowardly, timid, lazy, sluggish, vile, base, Prompt.; areȝ, S; arh, MD; arȝ, NED; erewe, S; arewe, _sb._ betrayer, enemy, S, MD.—AS. _earg_ (_earh_); Icel. _argr_; cp. OHG. _arg_ (Otfrid). Arwed, _pp._ made cowardly, PP. Arȝen, _v._ to be timid, to frighten, NED. Retrieved from: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10625/10625-0.txt
Leaving aside the name Arwen--which I just noticed, but am certain is not related to arȝen--we are left with the relationship among the words for arrow, cowardly, and to frighten. Now I'm a Ranger at heart, but it is true that arrows frightened otherwise doughty warriors, believing enemy bowmen craven for bringing such long-range weapons to the battlefield.
...
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Jan 7 2022, 12:13am)
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Jan 7 2022, 6:36am
Post #10 of 12
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I would never have figured out #4
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even if I did have access to my reference materials.
How many languages are you acquainted with?
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 7 2022, 4:04pm
Post #11 of 12
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"Boughs"! This is one of those words which must flummox learners of English (and those brought up in the language).
"Arȝe" was the strangest one to me, I had a hard time trying to figure out how to pronounce it. That one has very much gone out of the language, save as an exclamation.
Thanks again, SirD, Tolkien would love these quizzes - but I can imagine him making much harder ones than these!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Jan 7 2022, 4:13pm
Post #12 of 12
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I trip over the u for v often-
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and just when you think it should apply, it doesn't.
Reading "loue" as "love" is the first hurdle, then "lokk" is just a mangled form of our "look" -- such constructions are common enough in Middle English, sounding them out being the best way to tackle them. However, not all words that sound similar to a known modern word are etymologically related to that word. And of course there are words that are utterly unrecognizable, many that have fallen out of use, even where there is a modern word that means the same thing. Sometimes this indicates a root word that was borrowed from a language not usually associated with English.
It seems to me that the main contributors to English as we know it today are Old Norse, Old German, Old English and Old French. But there are words from other (usually Western European) languages that, for whatever reason, were part of the ME alphabet. For instance in a past MEVC we have discussed "sweuenes" which Tolkien glossed as "dreaming" and of OE origin "swefn" (which really sounds closer to how you would pronounce sweuen ie sveven). But arithmancer noted that it reminded them of their native Lithuanian word "svajone" (pronounced svayon).
As for languages, I only have English and a smattering of French. I dropped liguistics in university way back in the late 80s so am probably trying to atone for that here ;)
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