Recitation/Oral Reading
delivered by September 9, 2011/September 23, 2011
To appreciate fully Chaucer's
greatness, one must hear his works in the original Middle English.
Without that benefit of aural stimuli, the full artistry of his
achievement is lost. Just as a translated text is robbed of its
richness of meaning
(to say nothing of a loss in accuracy), a modernized version or
mispronounced original-language text is robbed of poet’s
employment of sound.
So that you can hear the works we read in the way they were composed,
you need the ability at least to approximate the Middle English
pronunciation. Therefore, I am requiring that each of you perform two
tasks: first, you must memorize and recite the first eighteen lines of
the General Prologue, and second, you must spontaneously read aloud a
passage of my choosing in the original Middle English. Both
exercises should display reasonably correct Middle English
pronunciation and
inflection.
I suggest that you consult Language and Versification in the
introduction to your textbook (xxix-xliv) as well
as the following Web sites. The second link will have five recordings
of your recitation lines (give or take some lines), so you can listen
to those samples along with the one I posted to Moodle. If you try
to simply memorize
a series of sounds, you may not do very well; rather, understand the
lines before/as you try to learn the sounds. This exercise will help
you learn the pronunciation and help you understand the language, which
is probably why every student traditionally has been required to
perform the task. Do not hesitate to come to me for help with
pronunciation or if you have questions.
Teach Yourself to Read Chaucer's Middle English
VMI Audio Files
Chaucer's Pronunciation, Grammar and Vocabulary
The Great Vowel Shift
ME Pronunciation
The Chaucer Studio Recordings
Please feel free to ask me questions on this subject, either during class or my office hours.
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Last modified: August 28, 2011