tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post4337298144522742219..comments2024-03-29T14:57:15.627+00:00Comments on Positive Letters ... inspirational stories ...: Scandinavian Words ...as an adjunct to the British Museum Viking Exhibition ...Hilary Melton-Butcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-75237191680195128952014-06-15T11:51:47.790+01:002014-06-15T11:51:47.790+01:00@ Sara - sorry missed you out - corrected herewith...@ Sara - sorry missed you out - corrected herewith!!<br /><br />I hope to visit the Viking Exhibition again this coming week as it finishes next Sunday ... and then I'll write more ... <br /><br />It seems the exploration idea originally was because areas were over populated ... and in order to bring back new wealth to their societies ... and I guess in a funny way the same now applies .. to escape, to test our human skills against the odds, to see how others lived, to find new sources ..<br /><br />Now - it is a different story - but some still want to find out and preserve before the bullies and big business strangle so much of the living world ... <br /><br />The one thing that is constant - when a great upheaval occurs ... new opportunities open up for flora and fauna .. and it survives in some form ... us too apparently ... <br /><br />If only we could "come in peace" for our day to day encounters - that would be amazingly helpful ... and such a great goal .. <br /><br />Let's hope .. with thoughts - HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-76184596881346488252014-06-15T11:46:07.260+01:002014-06-15T11:46:07.260+01:00Hi Deniz .. thanks it does make our language fasci...Hi Deniz .. thanks it does make our language fascinating .. and I really should get into Tolkein and understand his works better .. been sloth about that for far too many decades .. <br /><br />I watched Wallander last night and the suffix 'by' kept coming up in the names .. now I know place of, someone lived here ... <br /><br />Thank goodness we like learning still .. cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-37977996151014848002014-06-14T22:11:50.401+01:002014-06-14T22:11:50.401+01:00I love reading about these ancient borrowed words,...I love reading about these ancient borrowed words, and about the dialect words that are slowly dying out too. Comes from being a Tolkien fan, I suppose :-)Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-52909057431099554332014-06-11T20:41:41.871+01:002014-06-11T20:41:41.871+01:00"...The Viking Age may be long over, but its ..."...The Viking Age may be long over, but its legacy remains strong.” I liked this quote.<br /><br />This entire post left me wondering what it is about humans that makes us want to explore, even when the risk of death is involved. <br /><br />Is just to know more or to find out what's on the other side? I doubt it's that simple, but it does define us, as well as our ancestors, in so many ways. Perhaps some day we'll learn to "come in peace." :~)<br /><br />Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15995684156785464334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-1858468866244434722014-06-11T18:42:06.803+01:002014-06-11T18:42:06.803+01:00Hi Sharon - we have so much evolution of our Engli...Hi Sharon - we have so much evolution of our English language I think I will write again on the subject sometime .. <br /><br />Sorry you couldn't get to the Viking Exhibition .. I'll be doing a post on the Vikings, which will bring them a little more to life .. <br /><br />Glad you enjoyed it .. cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-28126968213583529262014-06-11T10:56:01.586+01:002014-06-11T10:56:01.586+01:00Development of the English language and the Viking...Development of the English language and the Vikings are fascinating subjects. I haven't been able to go to the Viking exhibition at the British Museum, due to work commitments, but would love to have done. It sounds so interesting. Thank you, Hilary, for sharing your experience of it and a lovely post :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16308322887557661274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-92198184879091248852014-06-11T08:05:39.105+01:002014-06-11T08:05:39.105+01:00@ Tina - it always interests me how many words are...@ Tina - it always interests me how many words are still around and how we can find out where they came from and when they first appeared in the English language .. going back centuries.<br /><br />Yes the "by" derivation was mentioned a lot and is all around us .. we used to live near Naseby in Northamptonshire .. so "by"s have always been around .. <br /><br />For sure "by" has stuck around! Lovely reading about your Dad spending the summers in Benaryby (not as Wiki spells it!) .. I see it's near the North Sea coast and now has a population of about 380 - must have been lovely spending the summers in a farming community .. <br /><br />Good reminders of times gone past .. cheers Hilary<br /><br />Hilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-85937810778609679232014-06-10T18:41:25.355+01:002014-06-10T18:41:25.355+01:00Oh how lovely to see some familiar words! Swedish...Oh how lovely to see some familiar words! Swedish has "evolved" quite a bit, but has it's Old Norse words still intact in many forms.<br />It's fascinating to hear you, a Brit, talk about my native language. You did a marvelous job, Hilary. I'd say the most common word you touched on would be "by" as so many towns still end in "by". It's stuck around, for sure! For example, The Swede spent summers in Benaryby, a small farming community not far from the more urban setting where his father was a policeman.<br />Tina @ <a href="http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Life is Good</a><br />On the Open Road! @ <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2014/05/whos-ready-for-4th-annual-post.html" rel="nofollow">Join us for the 4th Annual Post-Challenge Road Trip!</a>Tinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08925730745204736744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-83140435847991647542014-06-09T07:17:55.963+01:002014-06-09T07:17:55.963+01:00@ Debbie - many thanks and I enjoyed learning more...@ Debbie - many thanks and I enjoyed learning more .. encouraging me to go looking further too. Well I hope I can add to your knowledge when the Viking posts get done .. <br /><br />@ Grace - good to see you again and thank you for looking in .. I hope the break was enjoyable ... and peaceful .. <br /><br />Cheers to you both - HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-46354632704197872592014-06-09T00:41:23.423+01:002014-06-09T00:41:23.423+01:00Greetings Hilary,
It is good to know that you are ...Greetings Hilary,<br />It is good to know that you are still posting this blog. I have been absent for far too long and tonight I posted for the first time in ages...and then have gone wandering about to see who is still around.<br />Thanks for posting. As ALWAYS, I do enjoy your words and pictures.<br /><br />In Him,<br />GraceGracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04661762570114722355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-40052368663098949292014-06-08T10:28:47.530+01:002014-06-08T10:28:47.530+01:00You tell it all so well Hilary - nuggets of inform...You tell it all so well Hilary - nuggets of information that fire up the imagination and make me want to read more. A lot of work goes into your posts - I am always impressed.I loved learning about the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings at school - I think I used to know quite a lot about them - what happened? LOL! Thank you for a great post :-)Deborah Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17261449936843388583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-10318418856978347192014-06-08T08:18:10.206+01:002014-06-08T08:18:10.206+01:00@ Rhonda - it was exceedingly interesting and I...@ Rhonda - it was exceedingly interesting and I'm so pleased I went.<br /><br />@ Bazza - thank you for the intro to the Stephen Pinker's book: The Language Instinct ... I'll check it out ..<br /><br />I'm glad you picked up on Trisantona and agree totally it is a much more fun word than trespasser!<br /><br />@ Juliet - glad you enjoyed the post .. and I'm sure in NZ there's plenty of evolved words that give you interesting connotations .. <br /><br />Thanks so much for commenting .. cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-48171227525419299462014-06-08T02:21:23.680+01:002014-06-08T02:21:23.680+01:00Language is so fascinating, I find. English has be...Language is so fascinating, I find. English has been subject to so many influences. Thanks for filling me in with words and origins Hilary.Juliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542985048406828693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-85383228037887712182014-06-07T23:55:47.502+01:002014-06-07T23:55:47.502+01:00Very interesting subjects (Vikings and language). ...Very interesting subjects (Vikings and language). I really enjoyed Stephen Pinker's book <i>The Language Instinct</i> on this topic.<br />By the way, I think Trisantona is a better word than Trespasser!<br /><b><a href="http://todiscoverice.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’</a></b>bazzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794010156639774028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-91888173386281793902014-06-07T14:05:31.715+01:002014-06-07T14:05:31.715+01:00Sounds like one amazing lecture. Interesting how ...Sounds like one amazing lecture. Interesting how language evolves. Rhonda Albomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455873487349816911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-23573741613556748612014-06-07T07:54:36.059+01:002014-06-07T07:54:36.059+01:00@ Anne - I'd read that about the Exhibition no...@ Anne - I'd read that about the Exhibition not being easy to comprehend .. I got bogged down at the beginning with people .. and everyone following on with their audio guides .. <br /><br />I was glad I'd seen the film - but that too was overblown in a different way ... I'd also bought the books ... to check out more.<br /><br />I tried to take a different view and will do back .. it seemed sparse somewhat .. I loved seeing the dimensions of the longboat.<br /><br />But I agree with you .. we didn't learn much about the people themselves. I too saw the Ice Age Art Exhibition and was very impressed with that one ... I still need to write up about that - but remember bits that I want to include ... <br /><br />@ Suzanne - it is interesting how our language evolved .. and I love coming to Cornwall for that reason - apart from "coming home"!!<br /><br />School trips always have so much going on .. and I bet you saw things I haven't seen.<br /><br />The River Trent tidal bore Cnut story is a thought that's being promulgated .. 'sounded good' so I put it in!<br /><br />@ Lee - I love snippets of history like this too .. and yes the Vikings certainly travelled and opened up parts of the world that were unknown 1300 years ago .. <br /><br />You're right it's the change that occurs as cultures come into contact .. <br /><br />Cheers to you all .. have a peaceful weekend .. HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-18112224756651275602014-06-06T15:36:44.429+01:002014-06-06T15:36:44.429+01:00You've hit on a topic close to this old lingui...You've hit on a topic close to this old linguist's heart, Hilary. Fascinating how language changes as cultures come into contact. Those Vikings were just about everywhere, weren't they?cleemckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456109243453726483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-35864509712095993412014-06-06T15:06:38.741+01:002014-06-06T15:06:38.741+01:00I always find it fascinating to learn how words ev...I always find it fascinating to learn how words evolved and the influences behind language. I bet the Viking exhibit was interesting, will look forward to your post on that as we didn't make it in there on our recent school trip. <br />Never knew that about the River Trent either, I used to live near Newark on Trent too!Suzanne Furnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00908200156114453054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-34578396575483156922014-06-06T09:37:31.710+01:002014-06-06T09:37:31.710+01:00We went to the exhibition last week but I'm af...We went to the exhibition last week but I'm afraid I felt slightly let down by it. It failed to give me any impression of the people behind the objects. Maybe it's just not my era. (although I grew up in a Viking-founded town Skarde's Burg) I found last year's Ice Age art exhibition much more interesting. MorningAJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04719744167307369768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-18767933563450297992014-06-06T07:36:30.958+01:002014-06-06T07:36:30.958+01:00@ Doreen - yes Roerich's painting is an amazin...@ Doreen - yes Roerich's painting is an amazing one .. and like you I enjoy learning about how language has travelled .. <br /><br />@ Gattina - the European languages have all mixed along over time - and we've absorbed so many words with different roots too .. <br /><br />Anglo-Saxon (Old English influenced by Old Norse through the Vikings), Norman French - then became Middle English and ultimately Modern English as we know it .. with as you say a lot of roots from Latin .. it's an interesting language!<br /><br />@ Michelle - English in 100 years .. an awful lot of guttural and txt-speak .. well I hope not - I hope we retain our comprehensive coverage ..<br /><br />English is an amazing mix-all of language and those roots are fascinating to see and learn about .. <br /><br />King Cnut was 'just saying' you couldn't turn the tide back as he continued to conquer and settle .. <br /><br />@ Margie - many thanks .. <br /><br />Have lovely weekends everyone - it's a glorious day here .. cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-51433187238336384432014-06-06T00:08:01.517+01:002014-06-06T00:08:01.517+01:00Truly fascinating post, Hilary.
Thank you.
Have a...Truly fascinating post, Hilary.<br />Thank you.<br /><br />Have a great weekend Margiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14433759763753850718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-19434202995406094992014-06-05T21:48:06.888+01:002014-06-05T21:48:06.888+01:00Very interesting.
Language is constantly evolving....Very interesting.<br />Language is constantly evolving. I wonder what the English language will be like a century from now...?<br />I never knew that the Vikings had such a strong influence on the English language.<br /> I wonder what was going through King Cnut's mind that he attempted to turn back the tide in the River Trent...Michelle Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02750092836481599870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-5865603024550705122014-06-05T17:11:06.903+01:002014-06-05T17:11:06.903+01:00There are some Viking in the German language too !...There are some Viking in the German language too ! What I noticed is that there are lots of French words in the English language all stemming from the Romans (Latin).Gattinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06636525277807715146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-16056023278087233682014-06-05T15:36:22.124+01:002014-06-05T15:36:22.124+01:00This is fascinating. I love the painting of the sh...This is fascinating. I love the painting of the ship, just beautiful.<br />I have always been interested in the history of language.<br />doreenmcgettigan.comDoreen McGettiganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11691803968607905576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401528799218373095.post-11124982545040099742014-06-05T07:45:00.427+01:002014-06-05T07:45:00.427+01:00@ Lynn - I'll be doing a few more posts shortl...@ Lynn - I'll be doing a few more posts shortly .. but they are an interesting era of history .. that remain with us to this day ..<br /><br />@ Beate - so pleased you were interested to read this .. the Viking/Norse influence is huge across Europe and in other ways too ..<br /><br />@ Julie - there's lots to learn and they were a fascinating race and travelled so far - sorry that we can't whisk you across the water for a visit .. <br /><br />@ Lisa - certainly they were brutal, but so was everyone then .. and then they settled and just became us, and we them ... and grew crops and families! <br /><br />But your comment made me think about my travels when I got to South Africa and Zimbabwe and really didn't want to set off again ..so I stayed for a while ...<br /><br />@ Rosey - that was only 300 members who had paid to attend the lecture .. <br /><br />Looking round the exhibition was fascinating to see the differences in the hoards and to see that amazing longship ... <br /><br />@ Mason - delighted you enjoy coming over - thank you .. the Runestones are extraordinary ... this one is particularly striking .. <br /><br />@ Theresa - there's lots to be said for the Vikings - they did open up the world in northern Europe ... <br /><br />.. and yes they did 'find' Canada in the Newfoundland area ...and I'm sure I never learnt they reached America before Columbus .. but there was no recorded writing then - as was possible in Columbus' Day in 1492 ... <br /><br />@ Eddie - thanks so much ... my blog teaches me so much! But it is so interesting to learn about things .. and the Viking Exhibition has allowed me to see into their lives a little .. <br /><br />@ Rosie - I had a busy day .. and am just glad you've enjoyed reading a little bit more about the history of names and places .. <br /><br />@ Joylene - I couldn't agree more .. English, even for an English speaker, is not easy!<br /><br />Since you ask about business - it derives from Old ENglish ... to occupy, to worry, to fatigue. In theatrical parlance "business" or "biz" means by-play - eg Hamlet trifling with Ophelia's fan ...<br /><br />and just to add some extra interest to business ... there is the "Business" newspaper in Ukraine ... but it also refers to a group of ferrets ... <br /><br />@ Gary - without sun .. not very well .. but they've been around a long time ... so something must work?!<br /><br />Yes non-native speakers often speak English way better than we do .. it's a pleasure to hear it spoken, when it is so well spoken .. and now-a-days that will be the case the txt-speech ... <br /><br />Yes - well done .. it is a sunny Thor's day ... <br /><br />@ Christine - good timing to share the week with you Viking wise .. and I certainly hope your Viking pirate story does well .. <br /><br />@ Julia - where language comes has always fascinated me: and in some ways I rather wished I'd studied it .. <br /><br />I'm sure we have Viking genes somewhere within in us and I hope you do get over to see the countries .. I too would like to visit .. <br /><br />@ Dianne - yes we do have lots of history .. and I guess we assimilated that too and so have absorbed quite a lot of others' history from earlier times .. Byzantine, Egyptian, Greek and Roman .. let alone Anglo-Saxon .. <br /><br />Interesting meme from Facebook - thanks for quoting it here .. interesting thought when I look at language again .. I'll remember that!<br /><br />I don't know the answer to your question .. but I'll find out - I haven't heard mention, since I started being able to visit again .. I'll let you know ..<br /><br />@ SENCO .. as the content was really challenging .. I don't think her daughter really understood .. <br /><br />.. but your story about the children working on Anglo-Saxon poetry and picking out words that we still use today .. what a fascinating exercise ... thanks for letting us know about this ..<br /><br />Cheers to you all - just so pleased you've enjoyed this post .. thanks - HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.com