The Language of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. The Language of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Conor Meehan

2. Someone with a childlike disposition A magical occurrence The sound of a blow making contact The outside fortification to a building People who go hunting Something unlucky The sound of someone moving quickly Someone’s faults or errors You are creating a new language and need to come up with new words for the following words and concepts

3. The Background • At a New Year’s feast in King Arthur’s court, The Green Knight issues a challenge to go blow for blow with his ax • A young man, not even a knight, named Gawain accepts • Gawain takes the first swing and chops off the Green Knights head • The Green Knight reattaches his head and tells Gawain to fin him in one year so he can return the blow.

4. The Background • Gawain goes on a long quest and faces many tests and temptations. • When Gawain gets to the Green Knight’s green chapel, the Green Knight takes 3 swings but only makes contact on one, leaving only a small cut • The Green Knights logic was that Gawain had proved he was a good knight by showing up and turning down temptations on the way.

5. He watz so joly of his joyfness, and somquat childgered • His youth made him so merry with the moods of a boy

6. þenn Arþour bifore þe hi3 dece þat auenture byholdez • Then Arthur before the high dais beheld this wonder

7. Such a dunt as þou hatz dalt – disserued þou habbez • Such a dint as thou hast dealt – indeed thou hast earned

8. A better barbican þat burne blusched vpon neuer • That knight a better barbican had never seen built

9. Þenne þise cacheres þat couþe cowpled hor houndez • Then the leaders of the hounds leashed them in couples

10. Þis is a chaple of meschaunce, þat chekke hit bytyde • This is a chapel of mischance, the church most accused

11. Quoþ Gawayn, ‘I schunt onez’ • ‘I blenched once,’Gawain said

12. Þou art confessed so clene, beknowen of þy mysses • Thou hast confessed the so clean and acknowledged thine errors