Medieval Languages

Need to brush up on your Latin? Understand the Canterbury Tales? Looking for a word in Old Irish? This page includes resources on the languages used in the Middle Ages, including dictionaries, basic overviews, and full lessons.

General

• ASNC Spoken Word – Insular Latin, Old English, Old Norse, Medieval Welsh, Medieval Irish, and Gaulish (Cambridge University)

Celtic Languages

• General
  • Celtic Studies Resources – links for Breton, Cornish, Irish, Welsh, Gaulish, Manx, and Scottish/Gaelic resources (Lisa L. Spangenberg)
  • Celtic Language and Literature – Middle Welsh and Old Irish (University of Connecticut)
• Old and Middle Welsh
  • Old and Middle Welsh (David Willis, Cambridge University)
• Old and Middle Irish
  • Old Irish – English glossary (The University of the Highlands and Islands, mostly in Irish)
  • Old Irish Online (University of Texas at Austin)
  • Dictionary of the Irish Language

English

• Old English (Anglo-Saxon)
  • Old English Thesaurus (University of Glasgow)
  • Old English Language and Literature (University of Connecticut)
  • Old English Online (University of Texas at Austin)
• Middle English
  • Middle English Dictionary (University of Michigan)
  • Middle English Language and Literature (University of Connecticut)
  • Middle English Literary Resources (University of Georgia at Athens)

French

• Anglo-Norman
  • Anglo Norman Language and Literature (University of Connecticut)
  • The Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub (Universities of Aberystwyth and Swansea)
• Old French
  • Old French Language and Literature (University of Connecticut)
  • Old French Online (University of Texas at Austin)
  • Dictionnaire Étymologique de l'Ancien Français – Dictionary of Old French (Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, in French and German)
• Middle French
  • Dictionary of Middle French (d'Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française, in French)
  • Middle French Dictionary (glosbe.com)

Germanic Languages

• Old Saxon, Old High German, Middle Low German, Old Frisian, and Gothic resources (University of Connecticut)

Latin

• Bartholomew’s World – Medieval Scholasticism and Latin (Stanford University)
• Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (Oxford University)
• Dictionary of Medieval Latin from Celtic Sources (Royal Irish Academy)
• Learn Medieval Latin (UK National Archives)
• Medieval Latin Course Homepage (Prof. Rand Johnson, Western Michigan University)
• Medieval Latin Resources (University of Connecticut)

Occitan

• Notes on Old Occitan (William S. Annis)

Old Norse

• Old Norse Language and Literature (University of Connecticut)
• Old Norse Online (University of Texas at Austin)
• Old Norse for Beginners (Haukur Þorgeirsson and Óskar Guðlaugsson)
• Skaldic prose texts with grammar (Tarrin Wills, University of Aberdeen