Glossing with Runes: The Old Northumbrian Gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels

  • Inmaculada Senra-Silva Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

Abstract

The purpose of this contribution is to offer a thorough examination of the use of the  m and D runes in the Old English gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels in the context of the studies of Anglo-Saxon Runica Manuscripta. The book known as the Lindisfarne Gospels is a religious and artistic world treasure and thus has received  considerable attention for centuries. In this sense, it is highly regarded by palaeographers, art historians, linguists and collectors alike. From a philological point of view, research within diachronic variation studies has centred on the Old English gloss, and in particular on the analysis of the distinctive dialectal features. Other lines of research have focused on the English dependence of the Old English gloss on the Latin text. However, the glossator's use of runes has never been subjected to exhaustive scholarly study. In this sense, this article constitutes the first in-depth study to examine the runic material in the gloss to the Latin text.  

Author Biography

Inmaculada Senra-Silva, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
Inmaculada Senra-Silva is an Associate Professor of English in the Department of Foreign Languages at the UNED, Madrid, where she teaches undergraduate courses on the English Studies Degree and several courses on the Master’s in Applied Linguistics. Her main areas of research interest include Runica Manuscripta, Old English dialectology, language contact and second language teaching and learning.

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Published
2023-12-27
Section
Articles