Speaker: Lindy Brady (Edge Hill University)
When: Friday, 17 April 2026, 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Where: Centre for Medieval Studies, 125 Queen's Park, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C7 and virtually via Zoom.
Description: Lindy Brady of Edge Hill University will present Multilingualism, Old English, and the Viking Age at the 2026 Toronto Old English Colloquium.
RSVP required
Abstract: Multilingualism, Old English, and the Viking Age
In the words of its own historians, pre-Norman Britain held five languages and four peoples. Yet in modern scholarship, Old English is too often studied separately from the other languages that surrounded it during the time that it was spoken. This talk surveys evidence from the pre-Norman period that situates Old English as one of several living languages that together formed the basis of a vibrant oral and written literary culture in early medieval Britain. The case study of Old English then forms a jumping-off point to explore how the significant period of mobility inaugurated by the Viking era impacted linguistic contact across the medieval world. This talk outlines our evidence for a web of multilingual connections, arguing that the new era of mobility ushered in by the Vikings transformed the regions they inhabited into spaces where the cultures that emerged were products of multilingual interactions.
Reception to follow
Contact Information:
Sponsors
- Centre for Medieval Studies
- Department of English
- Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies
