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University of OxfordHearing voices: getting more out of reading Old English texts

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3.3 Old English scripts

When we think of Old English literature, we perhaps think of the minuscule in which many of the texts are preserved. That writing system was not used by the Anglo-Saxon invaders of the British Isles, however, and was not the only one that the settlers adopted.

Omniglot, a website that aims to provide examples of writing systems of the world, gives the characters of Futhorc (Old English runes) and the Old English alphabet, as well as their associated sounds and modern English equivalents.

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Analysing literary texts | Introduction to manuscripts