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Writers Retreat > Student Talk > Research Chat > Medieval stuff
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georgekulz
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« on: July 31, 2009, 12:11:35 PM »
Hi all

I'm having a serious problem with a fantasy short story of mine, because I can't seem to get the dialogue and setting  to sound authentic for the time period. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, where can I go to find some good examples of medieval language and settings?

Thanks in advance.

-George
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Mikki S
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« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2009, 01:25:11 PM »
George,

Here are two links I have used:

www.pantheon.org/mythica.html

www.sirclisto.com/77.html

Also, if you Google "Medieval language", a lot of sites come up, but I haven't used any of them, although a couple look promising.

Mikki
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« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2009, 03:23:18 PM »
I've had the same problem, George. One of the main things is to try to not use overused cliques or modern slang.

Setting is very hard. I can't really offer any advice on that, but maybe use your imagination on what your time period would be like without technology and think of what might be used instead.
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« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2009, 03:39:02 PM »
And as a couple of people have already pointed out, be careful of words we take for granted, which as it turns out (by referencing the Oxford English Dictionary) weren't in use at the time.

Also, certain words have CHANGED meaning, such as argument. Today, we think of that as something bad. Long ago, it simply meant a conversation, nothing bad about it. Or remarkable, which we think of as great. Again, it simply meant something worth talking about, not necessarily fantastic.

Good luck! (Was THAT phrase used back then?)    :Smiley
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« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2009, 08:12:54 PM »
Hey, George, how's the dragon-slaying going? Just how medieval were you aiming for? I have a friend who was trying to go the whole thee/thou, thinkest, etc., route, and I found a website for her with charts of how to do all that. If that's what you're looking for, I could try digging it up again.

That said, I don't personally recommend that route--it's distracting and risks sounding silly, IMHO. I think just avoiding contractions and having your characters speak quite formally would give the flavor without all the entanglement of archaic language. "What say you, kind sir?" vs. "What sayest thou, kind sir?"

Kate
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« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2009, 10:15:14 PM »
Good point, Kate.

George, if you really want to read that language just for the flavor in your mind, go to the library and get a copy of original Chaucer, not the modern translation. You'll find out very quickly why Middle english didnlt last much past King James.

Clauds
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« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2009, 02:07:01 PM »
Quote from: claudette on July 31, 2009, 10:15:14 PM
Good point, Kate.

George, if you really want to read that language just for the flavor in your mind, go to the library and get a copy of original Chaucer, not the modern translation. You'll find out very quickly why Middle english didnlt last much past King James.

Clauds

Thanks for the suggestion, Clauds. I wouldn't have thought of that Undecided

King James ... son of Mary, Queen of Scots? If that was the case, it would be around the 14th or 15th century?? (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.).

Jo
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« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2011, 06:53:57 PM »
A guest was just looking at this spot, and I have to say, awesome links, Mikki! Thank you!
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« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2011, 07:42:57 PM »
It's funny what guests look at, isn't it?!
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« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2011, 11:45:35 AM »
Please forgive me, but I have a real problem with this thread. The Middle Ages lasted a thousand years (approx. 450-1450). Which part of it do you mean? For all but the very end of the Middle Ages, English either didn't exist at all or was an entirely different language from what we know. There's no way to recapture it "authentically" and make it understandable.

I hereby put in my vote for using modern, "normal" English when writing about medieval England. Otherwise the characters sound stilted, like they are unable to communicate easily with each other. Their own language sounded as modern to them as ours does to us. You are, in effect, writing in translation.

Best of luck.

Anne
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« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2011, 12:26:29 AM »
Quote from: Lizardmaker on October 22, 2011, 11:45:35 AM
I hereby put in my vote for using modern, "normal" English when writing about medieval England. Otherwise the characters sound stilted, like they are unable to communicate easily with each other. Their own language sounded as modern to them as ours does to us. You are, in effect, writing in translation.

I wonder if this is the same as writing about a particular town of folks in a particular era (very specific settings)? In our course we've been advised to write in modern English instead of adopting the accents and sentence structures specific to that region/era. I remember my instructor said something like 'Put the settings details in the descriptions, and not so much in the dialogue.'
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