The Ormulum is a 12th-century work of biblical exegesis, written in early Middle English verse by a monk named Orm (or Ormin). Because of the unique phonetic orthography adopted by the author, it preserves many details of English pronunciation at a time when the language was in flux after the Norman Conquest. Consequently, and in spite its lack of literary merit, it is invaluable to philologists in tracing the development of the language. Orm was concerned with priests' ability to speak the vernacular, and developed an idiosyncratic spelling system to guide his readers to pronounce each vowel. He composed using a strict poetic meter which ensured that readers would know which syllables were stressed. Modern scholars use these two features to reconstruct Middle English as Orm spoke it.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormulum> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1176: Byzantine–Seljuk wars: The Seljuk Turks prevented the Byzantines from taking the interior of Anatolia at the Battle of Myriokephalon in Phrygia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Myriokephalon> 1787: The text of the United States Constitution was finalized at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution> 1894: The Imperial Japanese Navy defeated the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China in the Battle of the Yalu River at the mouth of the Yalu River in Korea Bay, the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Yalu_River_%281894%29> 1916: World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen> 1939: World War II: The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, sixteen days after Nazi Germany's attack on that country from the west. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland_%281939%29> 1978: President Anwar Al Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel (pictured with U.S. President Jimmy Carter) signed the Camp David Accords after twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: long in the tooth (adj): (idiomatic) Old, aged <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/long_in_the_tooth> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Many questions haven't been answered as yet. Our poets may be wrong; but what can any of us do with his talent but try to develop his vision, so that through frequent failures we may learn better what we have missed in the past. --William Carlos Williams <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Carlos_Williams> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
