As a student of Old English, I have often times been asked why I would want to study a dead language. Old English was the dominant language in England from 400-1660 AD and was a form of the Germanic language present on the continent mixed with Latin and Scandinavian influences. The practical reason why I am ecstatic to learn this magnificent language is that many famous texts from Medieval English Literature are written in this language; however, my fascination sprung from more than just my love for medieval literature.
First, studying a dead language can give immense insight into its descendant languages. For example, have you ever wondered why the name for a man is “man”? It is speculated that in the Proto-Germanic language (a spoken language which eventually descended into German), the name for man was “manniz”. But over time, people shortened the word “manniz” to the Old English word “mann”. Eventually people became tired of writing a second “n” and the word became shortened to its Modern English form of “man”. Although this is just one example, the same pattern can be seen in many words as they transition from their proto phase to Old English and finally to Modern English. This not only applies to many words, but to many dead languages. Latin, Old English, High German, and Old Norse—amongst many others—all contain this pattern as words develop to their modern descendants. Thus, it is fun to study a dead language so that I can learn about the history of various words.
In addition to its historical interest, studying a dead language has a magical power. Dead languages can transport readers to a completely different time and place in spite of the language’s extinction over time. Literature has this power of taking a reader from their couch at home and suddenly putting them in the middle of flying on a broom or wandering far off places. But, when the literature is in a dead language, it is even more magical. The sound of the language alone can calm readers while at the same time enticing them and pulling them in. Old English, for example, has interesting tones that cause sentences to rise and fall that are simply not in Modern English. These tones and sounds can fill the reader’s and listener’s ears with the sound of a language that seems to be one from movies that could never have existed in real life, even though it did. Beowulf, one of the most famous tales from Old English literature sounds like a hero’s journey in a far-off land, even if the listener did not know what the words meant. But then as the listener and reader learns Old English and can eventually speak it, the speaker is transported to 600 AD in a different culture telling the tale of a hero fighting monsters and dragons. Thus, dead languages can transport not only the readers and listeners, but the speakers as well. Dead languages can take us to cultures not that far removed from our own and make them seem as if they are almost fictitious—thus possessing a truly magical quality.