Pronunciation help: all languages

[Cbteddy]

Hi all! Needing some help with translation of passages for section 37 of this topic please! viewtopic.php?f=28&t=90353. It's a chapter about (Anglo-Saxon Custom from the Viking or Northmen's Point of View).

I've attempted to use Google translate to figure out what language it is, but if I copy the whole section in, it comes back with Ewe, which looks to be an African language (and this chapter doesn't have anything to do with Africa). If I copy/paste a word in at a time, I'm getting that it's either Dutch or Welsh depending on the individual words. If I try a small phrase, it'll advise of either Dutch or Welsh, but usually the opposite of the individual words. Ugh!

There's actually 20 different pieces within this section that are all similar, but I've copied the first one below as an example. Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Piece #1 (page 353):

And hi cwædon, gyf mon ofslægen wurðe, eal we letað efen dyrne, Engliscne ⁊ Denisce. ꝥ is to .viii. healf-marcum asodenes goldes. buton þam ceorle þe on gafol-lande sit ⁊ heora lysingon: þa syndon eac efen dyre. ægðer twa hund scyll::

And gyf man cynges þegen beteo man-slihtas. ⁊ he hine ladian durre. do he ꝥ mid xii cynges þegnas ⁊ gyf mon þone man betyhð þe bið læssa maga. ladie hine xi his gelicena ⁊ anum cyninges þegene.

English version:
And they ordained, if a man should be slain we estimate all equally dear, English and Danish, i.e. at viii half-marks of pure gold except the ceorl who sits on gafol land and their [the Danish] lysings, they also are equally dear, either at 200 scillings.

And if a man accuse a king’s thane of manslaying and he dare to clear himself, let him do that with 12 king’s thanes, and if any one accuse that man who is of less degree let him clear himself with 11 of his equals and with one king’s thane.

Hi Claire,
These passages are in Anglo-Saxon or Old English. From their date, I suggest that Late Old English. The table in the section on Orthography in the Wikipedia article provides the IPA transcription for the various letters and sounds. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English#Orthography). The character that isn't in that table is the Tironian et (⁊), which is said the same way as the Latin "et". Note that there are two characters here for "th" (ð and ꝥ). The article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronunciation_of_English_%E2%9F%A8th%E2%9F%A9 says that they were used interchangeably in Old English.

Hope that helps,
B

Thank you Beeswax! This is very helpful and I'll check out the articles you mentioned. You rock!

[Peter Why]

Could someone help me with the pronunciation of "Ein Guter Trunk Machtalte Jung", please?


Peter

[Kitty]

Could someone help me with the pronunciation of "Ein Guter Trunk Machtalte Jung", please?

here it is Peter, in the fluent and slow word by word version. It means: a good drink makes old people young. Whether there is truth in that saying is out of my expertise
https://librivox.org/uploads/kitty/german-for-peter.mp3

If you want me to check your pronunciation, feel free to PM me

Sonia

[Peter Why]

Thanks, Sonia; I've PM'd you my attempt.

Peter

[Peter Why]

And, from the same book as my last query, could someone help me with this French quote, please? ... including the name of the author.

_La découverte d’un mets nouveau fait plus pour le bonheur du genre
humain que la découverte d’une étoile._—BRILLAT-SAVARIN.

Peter

[Kitty]

And, from the same book as my last query, could someone help me with this French quote, please? ... including the name of the author.
_La découverte d’un mets nouveau fait plus pour le bonheur du genre
humain que la découverte d’une étoile._—BRILLAT-SAVARIN.

if no one else gets there first, I can do it tonight or tomorrow. I hope you are not in a hurry to finish the chapter...

Sonia

[Peter Why]

Thanks, Sonia; no, there's no hurry.

Peter

[Kitty]

And, from the same book as my last query, could someone help me with this French quote, please? ... including the name of the author.

_La découverte d’un mets nouveau fait plus pour le bonheur du genre
humain que la découverte d’une étoile._—BRILLAT-SAVARIN.

here it is as always, I can check yours if you wish.
https://librivox.org/uploads/kitty/french-brillat.mp3

it means roughly: the discovery of a new dish gives mankind more pleasure than the discovery of a star
what book are you reading that has such wisdoms in it ? I guess the previous German quote was from the same book ?

Sonia

[Rapunzelina]

Oh! Is it "The Book of the Cheese"? People come for the Cheese, they stay for the epigrams

[Peter Why]

Yes, it's the Cheshire Cheese book; I think he starts all of his chapters with a quote. This one is at the start of the chapter about the great pudding served up in the pub.

Peter

[Peter Why]

Thank you very much, Sonia. It's a funny little book about a pub in London that has stood there since just after the Great Fire in 1667. I've not been into it, though I've occasionally been down the alley where its front door is. I'm definitely going to explore it now!

I've uploaded my first attempt to your folder.

Peter