  Classic set text that did more harm than good, 2004-02-07
Comment: The Anglo-Saxon Primer was the set text for years and years for undergraduates required to study Anglo-Saxon (or 'Old English' as we now call it). It has a section on the grammar of the language, and a collection of introductory texts.You may or may not agree with the rather dry and academic presentation of the grammar. I personally found it grim. However, it was Sweet's disastrous decision to convert his Late West Saxon texts into (unhistorical) Early West Saxon which did untold damage to his subject. For those not in the know, the vast majority of extant Old English texts are in the dialect known as Late West Saxon. However, a school of thought persisted in Sweet's time that said that earlier forms were 'purer'. Sweet therefore normalised his text and grammar to the Early West Saxon form, even though a number of the texs in this volume were not written until much later. This is the equivalent of insisting that people trying to learn modern English begin their study by reading Sir Philip Sidney and Francis Bacon, or that people who want to learn Latin should begin first by learning Vedic. Sweet's unhistorical Early West Saxon-ised texts are more distant from modern English, and so harder to get to grips with. But they are also no sound preparation for reading Aelfric and Wulfstan in their own original. If you are studying at a university where this is the set text, then buy this book and work at it. Things will get easier once you progress to proper Old English later on. However, if you are learning the language through self-study, or are given a choice, you would be better advised to choose Bruce Mitchell's 'A Guide to Old English'. It has a much better approach to language learning and doesn't take liberties with the texts.
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