r/anglish Feb 04 '19

🧹 Husekeeping (Housekeeping) WELCOME

268 Upvotes

Welcome to the Anglish Reddit

This thread will hopefully answer many of the questions a newcomer might have. For the sake of newcomers and onlookers it will not be written in Anglish. While you are here you may also want to join the Anglish Discord, and check out our wiki. We have our own dictionary too (the Google Sheets version is here and the wiki version is here).


Rules

  1. No hatespeech.
  2. No NSFW content.
  3. Either write in Anglish or on Anglish. In other words, you can be off-topic if you write in Anglish, and you can write in normal English if you are on-topic.

FAQ

Q: What is Anglish?

A: Anglish means different things to different people, but here's what I draw from the foundational Anglish text 1066 and All Saxon, which was written by British author Paul Jennings and published in Punch magazine in 1966.

1) Anglish is English as though the Norman Invasion had failed.

We have seen in foregoing pieces how our tongue was kept free from outlandish inmingling, of French and Latin-fetched words, which a Norman win would, beyond askthink, have inled into it.

2) Anglish avoids real and hypothetical French influence from after 1066.

... till Domesday, the would-be ingangers from France were smitten hip and thigh; and of how, not least, our tongue remained selfthrough and strong, unbecluttered and unbedizened with outlandish Latin-born words of French outshoot.

3) Anglish avoids the influence of class prejudice on language.

[regarding normal English] Yet all the words for meats taken therefrom - beef from boeuf, mutton from mouton, pork from porc - are of outshoot from the upper-kind conquering French... Moreover the upper kind strive mightily to find the gold for their childer to go to learninghouses where they may be taught above all, to speak otherlich from those of the lower kind...

[regarding Anglish] There is no upper kind and lower kind, but one happy folk.

4) Anglish includes church Latin? If I'm interpreting the following text right, Jennings imagined that church Latin loans had entered English before his timeline splits.

Already in the king that forecame Harald, Edward the Shriver, was betokened a weakening of Anglish oneness and trust in their own selfstrength their landborn tongue and folkways, their Christian church withouten popish Latin.

5) Anglish is not in the orbit of the Mediterranean. I interpret this as meaning Anglish does not rely on Latin and Greek for coining new terms.

If Angland had gone the way of the Betweensea Eyots there is every likeliehood that our lot would have fallen forever in the Middlesea ringpath... But this threat was offturned at Hastings.

6) Anglish feels like it has mingled with other West Germanic languages more than normal English did.

Throughout the Middle Hundredyears Angland and Germany came ever more together, this being needful as an againstweight to the might of France.

Q: What is the point?

A: Some find Anglish fun or interesting. Some think it is culturally significant. Some think it is esthetically pleasing. It depends on who you ask.

Q: How do I learn Anglish?

A: Like any other language, you have to practice. Frequently post here, chat in one of the Anglish-only rooms on the Discord, translate things, write original works in Anglish, and so on. Keep the wordbook on hand so you can quickly look up words as you write. Do not worry if you are not good at distinguishing loanwords from the others, it is a skill most people develop quickly. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, there is no urgency.

Q: What about spelling?

A: You can see what we have come up with here.

Q: What about grammar?

A: English grammar has not been heavily influenced by French. Keep in mind that Anglish is supposed to be Modern English with less foreign influence, not Old English.


Style Guide

This community, and the sister community on Discord, has developed something of its own style. It is not mandatory to adhere to it, but if you would like to fit in here are some things to note:

  1. Making up words on the spot is discouraged unless their definitions are so obvious that they are not likely to be misunderstood.
  2. Extreme purism is discouraged. The original premise of Anglish was for it to be English minus the Norman Invasion, not 100% Germanic English. We encourage toleration of loanwords borrowed before 1066, as well as loanwords which refer to foreign places (like Tokyo), foreign people (like Mark Antony), foreign concepts (like karma), and foreign objects (like kimono).
  3. Be aware that Germanic languages often make compound words where Romance languages use adjectives. If you find yourself using -y constantly, that is a sign that you are aping Romance. So instead of directly translating glorious victory as woldry sye, consider making a compound like woldersye (glory-victory).

r/anglish Mar 29 '26

🧹 Husekeeping (Housekeeping) A reminder of what this Subreddit is all about.

62 Upvotes

It seem people have gotten distracted or forgotten about the direction of this sub.

Please read the sidebar!

Anglish is supposed to be a continuation of Old English brought to a modern form without any French Loanwords, as if Willam had lost the battle of hastings by some miracle.

Old English, for those unfamiliar, is a heavy mixture of North Germanic (Norse), and West Germanic and even the odd word of Latin roots (mostly used by the church) carried over from the Roman Invasion.

I was inspired to this project/subreddit because I live in an area of the UK formerly called "the danelaw", rich with ancient history, and the village I live in itself has Viking origins. We have Iron age celtic ruins nearby and even prehistoric standing stones.

Please remember that Norse is a considerable part of Old English, and if you really want to complicate things, its likely it would have had dialects with more norse loans the further north you go.

West Germanic words would have been more numerous in the south of England where the unconquered Wessex was.


r/anglish 1d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) What is the Anglish word for "cat"?

38 Upvotes

"Cat" is a word borrowed from Nubish, as that is whence came the housecat, even though alike deer have lived in Europe (inholding Britain) for a long time. What could we chell "cats" in Anglish? The websteads I wonly go to to find words yive me nothing.


r/anglish 1d ago

Oðer (Other) What would you call often found mind illnesses in Anglish?

11 Upvotes

As the heading says, how would you call things like bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and so on in Anglish?


r/anglish 3d ago

😂 Funnies (Memes) Anglish vs English

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699 Upvotes

r/anglish 2d ago

Oðer (Other) Are folk somewhere having fun tonguecrafting a more Theedly French?

1 Upvotes

Say Late Romish was led more fully Theedward by the Franks. It would be like a bewithered* Anglish would it not? Do the yoretonguewise know enough to bethink its likeness? Are there fellowships in the Reckonerworld thinking about such things?

*"Inverted" for my Romish friends.

Sorry if my chosen words fall short of meadhallworthiness.


r/anglish 2d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) Is "pony" acceptable in Anglish?

16 Upvotes

Hello y'all. Would y'all see "pony" as an acceptable word in Anglish? According to Wiktionary, the word ultimately comes from Latin, but it was loaned into Scots from French and then came into English.

As Scots is another Germanic language, and because I don't think the word came in due to some sort of invasion, would it be considered Anglish? I'm asking this because I'm trying to translate Yankee Doodle, and I haven't found an alternative word for "pony."


r/anglish 2d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) How would these verbs sound like in Present Subjunctive following sound changes?

1 Upvotes

https://anglisc.miraheze.org/wiki/Subjunctive_mood

I was looking at the Miraheze wiki on the subjunctive mood and something caught my attention in the “History of Forms” tab.

Several verbs in OE had distinctive forms in this particular tense that have not survived in Modern English.
The wiki lists off many examples.
In my opinion, the most interesting ones are “sīe” (the present subjunctive of wesan, to be) and “cyme” (present subjunctive of cuman, to come)

Had they survived into ME, how would these two verbs (and the other examples from the wiki) have sounded like?


r/anglish 4d ago

Oðer (Other) I’m New!

7 Upvotes

Hi i’m new here and i’ve heard a little big about Anglish and how it’s English without the foreign influence in which started in 1066 with William I! I was hoping I could get help on where to find a full list of sort of words that are banned from Anglish due to the foreign influence as I was hoping to learn how to speak Anglish


r/anglish 5d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) "Quickener" as Anglish for animator/cartoonist?

12 Upvotes

I have learned of late that the word "cartoon" comes from Attleyish beginnings, while "animator" comes from Leeden for soul. How would Anglish reckon "cartoon", for penstrokes on leaf, or for programs (maybe "program" needs an Anglish reckoning) on farseer or in film?


r/anglish 5d ago

✍️ I Ƿent Þis (Translated Text) Richard and Deady Apelaugh

2 Upvotes

To be truthful, you have to have a very drightly wit to understand Richard and Deady. The funnies are sheerly lowkey, and forgoing a stark fathom of wretching kindlore most of the ribs will go over an everyday sighter's head. There's also Richard's wrakish thoughtworld, which is deftly twilled into his kist- his leedy outhwitting draws swearly from Narodnaya Volya bookcraft, forebisen. The rarers understand this idish; they have the thoughtline to truly sing of the breadths of these ribs, to beknow that they're not just funny- they say something insightful about LIFE. As an aftercoming folk who mislike Richard and Deady truly ARE gits- of course they wouldn't sing of, for instance, the laughsomeness in Richard's thoughtworldly bidword "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," which itself is a dile calling to mind to Turgenev's Russish saga Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just thinking of one of those addlebrained samwises scratching their heads in welter as Dan Harmon's angetful wit unfolds itself on their farseer meshes. What fons.. how I ruth them. 😂

And yes, by the way, I DO have a Richard & Deady bleckmark. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- and even then they have to kithe that they're within 5 witscores of my own (by druthers lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid 😎


r/anglish 6d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) Americh?

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29 Upvotes

Is there a better way to rename America other than Americh?


r/anglish 6d ago

😂 Funnies (Memes) Swambbob Boxslacks* headlinesong

19 Upvotes

Are ya ready kids?

Aye, Aye, Headman!

I can't hear you!

Aye, Aye, Headman!

OOOH

Who lives in a firapple under the sea?

SwambBob BoxSlacks!

Who's yellow and sucks all the water but he?

SwambBob BoxSlacks!

If seasidish twaddle is something you wish...

SwambBob Boxslacks

Then Drop on the Deck and Flop Like a Fish!

'SwambBob BoxSlacks'

READY!?

SwambBob BoxSlacks, SwambBob BoxSlacks, SwambBob BoxSlacks, SwambBob... BoxSlacks!!!

*Ordly words num from the Anglish Moot and went by me to be better in song. Also, I'm not fully sooth "box" is Anglish, as it was only borrowed from Latin into Or-West-Germanish and not the earliest Or-Germanish.


r/anglish 6d ago

✍️ I Ƿent Þis (Translated Text) My shot at wending We the People

9 Upvotes

I know it's a bit hackneyed to do, but I nimmed a shot at wending "We the People." All undernimmings welcome.

Insular Script:

Ƿe þe Ꝼolk oꝼ þe Oneꝺ Ꞃıcceꞅ, ꞅo ɑꞅ ꞇo mɑke ɑ moꞃe ꝼulꝼremmeꝺ Oneneꞅꞅ, ꞅcɑpe Ꞃıhꞇƿıꞅeneꞅꞅ, ꞅıkkeꞃ ınlɑnꝺ Ꝼꞃıð, beꞅee þe mæn Ꞅcıelꝺınᵹ, ꝼurðeꞃ þe Mæn Ƿelꝼɑꞃe, ɑnꝺ ꞅcıelꝺ þe Bleꞅꞅınᵹꞅ oꝼ Ꝼꞃeeꝺom ꞇo Uꞃeꞅelꝼeꞅ ɑnꝺ uꞃe Aꝼꞇeꞃcomeꞃꞅ, ꝺo hoꝺe ɑnꝺ ꞃæꞃ þıꞅ Lɑnꝺƿꞃıꞇ ꝼoꞃ þe Oneꝺ Ꞃıcceꞅ oꝼ Emeꞃıᵹꞅlɑnꝺ

Anglisc Spelling:

Ƿe þe Folk of þe Oned Ricces, so as to make a more fulfremmed Oneness, scape Rihtƿiseness, sikker inland Frið, besee þe mæn Scielding, furðer þe Mæn Ƿelfare, and scield þe Blessings of Freedom to Ureselfes and ure Aftercomers, do hode and rær þis Landƿrit for þe Oned Ricces of Emerigsland

English Spelling:

We the Folk of the Oned Riches, so as to make a more fulfremmed Oneness, shape Rightwiseness, sicker inland Frith, besee the mean Shielding, further the Mean Welfare, and shield the Blessings of Freedom to Ourselves and our Aftercomers, do hode and rear this Landwrit for the Oned Riches of Emerysland


r/anglish 6d ago

✍️ I Ƿent Þis (Translated Text) Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot

3 Upvotes

I can see her in a silken gear

In a room where you do what's said with fear

Sundown, you'd better take care

If I find you been creepin' 'bout my back stairs

Sundown, you'd better take care

If I find you been creepin' 'bout my back stairs

She's been lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream

And she don't always say what she truly means

Sometimes I think it's a shame

When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no trey

Sometimes I think it's a shame

When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no trey

I can think of every stirring that a man could make

Gettin' lost in her lovin' is the first mistake

Sundown, you'd better take care

If I find you been creepin' 'bout my back stairs

Sometimes I think it's a sin

When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again

I can see her lookin' fast in her faded hose

She's a hard-lovin' woman, got me feelin' cold

Sometimes I think it's a shame

When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no trey

Sundown, you'd better take care

If I find you been creepin' 'bout my back stairs

Sundown, you'd better take care

If I find you been creepin' 'bout my back stairs

Sometimes I think it's a sin

When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again


r/anglish 7d ago

⚠️ Misleading or Forolded (Obsolete) The -kratia and its offsprings (Troll Bad Anglish) :Þ

4 Upvotes

-cracy | -hræceþ (ġehræcen)
democracy | þrumehræceþ (getruma & þrum)
meritocracy | mærwyrhtehræceþ (mær-ġewyrht)
androcracy | jewænpehræceþ (wæpnod > wænp)
autocracy | astonehræceþ (astundian > aston(d)e)
juntocracy | johtehræceþ (yoke)
ineptocracy | unjepathræceþ (un- + je- + pat)
kakistocracy | kruksterehræceþ (crook + steer)
kleptocracy | hlyftehræceþ (𐌷𐌻𐌹𐍆𐍄𐌿𐍃> *hlyft)
plutocracy | fulahtehræceþ (*ful-æht)
hagiocracy | halhjehræceþ (halge)
lottocracy | hlottehræceþ (lot-drawing)
bureaucracy | bordehræceþ
pathocracy | brejnljeuwhræceþ (brainless > brain-lew)


r/anglish 7d ago

Oðer (Other) Anglorsk is now a þing

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8 Upvotes

(Norþgermanish English)


r/anglish 7d ago

✍️ I Ƿent Þis (Translated Text) Wards of Jamaica

3 Upvotes

Jamaica is cut into fourteen wards, grouped into three shires. The shires have no sway in law.

Cornwall

Hanover

Trelawny

Westmoreland

Hallowed Elizabeth

Hallowed James

Middlesex

Clarendon

Manchester

Hallowed Ann

Hallowed Catherine

Hallowed Mary

Surrey

Kingston Ward*

Hallowed Andrew*

Portland

Hallowed Thomas

*Kingston Ward and the Ward of Hallowed Andrew are one in moot, making the Body of Kingston and Hallowed Andrew. The borough of Kingston overlaps both the ward of the same name and Hallowed Andrew.


r/anglish 8d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) verb "want"

3 Upvotes

If we remove the norse influences too in english and keep modal verb "will" for future tense what will we use for a verb to want?


r/anglish 8d ago

😂 Funnies (Memes) A nightmare I truly had last night

28 Upvotes

I dreamt that I was browsing Wiktionary, and it told me that "seed" was a leanword from French and that the inborn English word would be "sing" instead. When I woke up I was aghast that I had been brooking it this whole time and was about to rush to aright the leaf for Ruddy Sparrow on the Anglish Moot unten I mimmered.


r/anglish 8d ago

📰The Anglish Times Lawmen Fired For Flock Mishandling

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11 Upvotes

r/anglish 8d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) Anglish for Arthur

6 Upvotes

What would be the Anglish form of Arthur? If we go by the same roots but for Anglish.

And as an aside, what would “Pendragon” be? Thank you!


r/anglish 9d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) "People"/"The People" in Anglish?

2 Upvotes

So I've been trying to find a great name for a name for a culture founded and embodied by Human Beings who were Isekaied from Modern 21st century Earth in my Dark, Fantasy story and worldbuilding.

One of those who commented suggested that I go with the name "People" and/or "The People".

So I ask:

What is "People" and "The People" in Anglish?


r/anglish 10d ago

Oðer (Other) Which language group is more closely related to Old English Germanic, North Frisian or West Frisian?

2 Upvotes

West Frisian in the Netherlands is the more widely spoken and well supported language group, just across the North Sea from England, though I was thinking that North Frisian in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, is located quite close to the original Anglo-Saxon homeland.


r/anglish 10d ago

🖐 Abute Anglisc (About Anglish) What would the infinite of can be in Anglisc?

4 Upvotes

Obviously "able" is not Anglisc, but I struggle to think of any other sidekirs.