How Did Anglo-Saxons Communicate When They Had Such Varied Dialects of Old English Unique from Their Respective Location?

During the early Anglo-Saxon period, the dialects of Old English were not as diverse as they became in later centuries. The differences were minimal and could be attributed more to regional preferences in spelling and convention. However, as the 9th century approached, the situation changed significantly with the Danish invasion and the establishment of the Danelaw. This set the stage for more pronounced dialectal variations that persisted until the coming of the Normans.

Early Consistency in Dialects

Up to the 9th-10th centuries, the dialects of Old English were not that different. For instance, early Northumbrian monks used different spelling conventions, making their output look much more different from standard West Saxon than it actually was. Comparing the 8th century Northumbrian version of Bede’s Death Song with an 11th century standard West Saxon version, one would find only one word different, likely a variant or a mistake. Almost every word is spelled differently, but the spellings generally resolve to the same sounds. This demonstrates that the core meanings and pronunciation remained consistent despite the variations in spelling.

The Impact of the Danish Invasion

The 9th century saw a significant shift with the Danish invasion and the formation of the Danelaw. This invasion led to a thorough mixing of English with Danish, which caused the dialects to diverge. However, from the 9th century onward, there was a literary standard established by King Alfred, which provided a common ground for people from different parts of the country. For example, King Cnut, an actual Danish king who ruled England, issued all his decrees in Alfred’s standard West Saxon. This standard might have started to become antiquated by the 11th century, but it remained relevant until the Norman Conquest. After the Norman Conquest, there was no longer a literary standard, and dialects diverged rapidly.

Communication and Understanding

People from different regions communicated much as a speaker of Jamaican English might communicate with someone from rural Yorkshire, slowly and with a lot of circumlocution. When learning Old English today, it is generally Early West Saxon, as it was the dominant political power during the reign of Alfred, hence the source of most of the extant literature. However, the existence of Northumbrian and Kentish documents also suggests that someone with a good hold on West Saxon could navigate these other dialects reasonably well, with a bit of Frisian thrown in for good measure. A good dictionary is essential for understanding the rough spots.

Continuity and Evolution

Exploring a good Old English (A-S) dictionary reveals a multitude of variant spellings, reflecting the geographic and chronological scope of what we term Old English. Most of the spellings are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) since there wasn’t time for orthography to fossilize around a "court standard." The consonants show a high degree of continuity, while the vowels often shift slightly, making it easy to predict that an #952; (o) in West Saxon could evolve into an #731; (and) or an #279; (a) in other dialects. An #252; (y) in modern German, often appears as I or u in another dialect. This shift in vowels makes it easier to grasp the meanings of words when read aloud.

Comparison with Middle English

For many, the range of dialectal variation in Old English is less challenging than that in Middle English. Middle English faced wild card factors such as varying rates of Old Norse and Norman French influence, as well as the effects of uneven evolution in a low-status language that was infrequently written. For several centuries, the native English people’s speech was not a matter of concern for the ruling classes, and it wasn’t until the time of the ruling classes switching to English and the introduction of the printing press by Mr. Caxton that any significant effort was made to unify the language.