The Bard's English
by Wayne Anderson
 108
pages, 6 x 9" softcover
$14.95 (Calif. add sales tax)
The Bard's English is a new guide approach to English
for Renaissance Faires and other reenactors. It begins by recognizing
two fundamental truths that are often overlooked, even by serious students
of the language:
There is no single "correct" Elizabethan accent
or dialect in English. It varied so widely, even in a single year and
place, that it is impossible to say with authority what is "correct."
The goal, for actors, is not necessarily to speak the
most rigidly historical dialect possible, but rather to find a theatrical
compromise. Renaissance Faires are theatre, after all, and the dialect
must be easy for actors to learn and for audiences to understand.
Keeping this in mind, it presents a great deal of knowledge
in a compact and readable package. Sprinkled with humor and interesting
historical tidbits, it never forgets the reader, or gets too "dry"
or scholarly to enjoy.
Part 1 of the book presents a detailed look at the language
of Shakespeare's time: its background and development, how it was used
theatrically and in everyday speech. It concludes with sections on Names
and Numbers, Measures, and Money.
In Part 2, The Bard's English takes a close look at how
the language may have been spoken: accents, variances of pronunciation,
grammar, and how that applies to the reenactor. This section winds up
with "Hope for the Grammar-Impaired" and "Taking it to
the Streets."
Part 3 concludes the book with a series of detailed vocabularies,
totaling well over five hundred words, categorized for easy reference.
This part also includes a special section on expletives and exclamations,
a list of fifty useful phrases, a reverse phrasebook, a series of exercises,
and an extensive bibliography.
If you'd like to sample it for yourself, you can click
on the links below to view Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files showing selected
pages and sections. (Note that the samples given here were taken from
an early version of the book).
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The Bard's English book remains in stock, and is ready to ship.
Order now!
"I found The Bard's English to be an excellent
source guide for experienced and new reenactors, both educational and
practical at the same time... anyone and everyone serious about being
a reenactor owes it to themselves to acquire this book."
Tim Barrett, proprietor
RenaissanceTreasures.com
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