Confessions

[2D8HP]

Hollywood "medieval" English

I hate to be this guy, but...

It's not mideval English. Old English used in the dark and middle ages (yes, there is a difference for those who don't know) is totally different from what you are talking about, which is Shakespearean English. Have you ever read Beowulf in it's original text? I haven't, because I would have no idea what it said. That is the difference between what you are talking about (Shakespeare's English) and Old English.

I'm sorry if I come across as trying to be a smart aleck, but I just wanted to mention this.

You think you can out pedantic moi??!!
How about I drop not Old nor Elizabethan but some Middle English down. It's on!

A povre wydwe, soundeel stape in age
Was whilom dwellyng in a narwe cotage,
Biside a grove, stondynge in a dale.

*ahem*
"Once upon a time a poor widow, getting on in years, lived in a small cottage beside a grove which stood in a little valley".
I confess that I have "The Canterbury Tales" beside my bed next to the "Dungeon Masters Guide".
Seriously start with "The Franklin"s Tale" then go to "The Wife of Bath's Tale", which rocks!
Our ancestors were both alike and different than us, and were at the same time both less and more worldly.
Good reading.

[Aedilred]

Old English used in the dark and middle ages (yes, there is a difference for those who don't know)

And now it's my turn to be "that guy"...

The term "dark ages" is now deprecated among historians and it's rare to find it used at face value in a reputable publication. Meanwhile "Middle Ages" does in fact refer to the entire period from the fall of Rome through to the Renaissance (being the "middle" between antiquity and modernity). Traditionally, though, "Dark Ages" and "Middle Ages" were pretty much synonymous.

Now, to be completely fair, I've generally seen "Dark Ages" used more commonly - though far from exclusively - to refer to the early Middle Ages and I do still find it useful in that context. Although it was abandoned partly out of political correctness, I do think that for the period bounded by, for the sake of convenience, the deposition of Augustulus and the coronation of Charlemagne, at least in western Europe, it has some validity - if nothing else because the sources "go dark" and there's little record of what was going on, and also because the collapse of civilisation, breakdown of the rule of law, and rise of both raiders from abroad and feudalism at home meant that its evocative sense has some validity too. It's perhaps not on the same scale as, but nevertheless comparable to, the Bronze Age Collapse and subsequent "Greek Dark Ages" and the terminology there is much less controversial.

But in any case, yeah, there isn't an inherent difference and whether there is largely depends on who's saying it.

[8BitNinja]

And now it's my turn to be "that guy"...

The term "dark ages" is now deprecated among historians and it's rare to find it used at face value in a reputable publication. Meanwhile "Middle Ages" does in fact refer to the entire period from the fall of Rome through to the Renaissance (being the "middle" between antiquity and modernity). Traditionally, though, "Dark Ages" and "Middle Ages" were pretty much synonymous.

Now, to be completely fair, I've generally seen "Dark Ages" used more commonly - though far from exclusively - to refer to the early Middle Ages and I do still find it useful in that context. Although it was abandoned partly out of political correctness, I do think that for the period bounded by, for the sake of convenience, the deposition of Augustulus and the coronation of Charlemagne, at least in western Europe, it has some validity - if nothing else because the sources "go dark" and there's little record of what was going on, and also because the collapse of civilisation, breakdown of the rule of law, and rise of both raiders from abroad and feudalism at home meant that its evocative sense has some validity too. It's perhaps not on the same scale as, but nevertheless comparable to, the Bronze Age Collapse and subsequent "Greek Dark Ages" and the terminology there is much less controversial.

But in any case, yeah, there isn't an inherent difference and whether there is largely depends on who's saying it.

It's finally come to this one.

I still use the term dark ages. I also choose to not be PC, as I believe that it is too similar to the newspeak of 1984.

[Knaight]

It's finally come to this one.

I still use the term dark ages. I also choose to not be PC, as I believe that it is too similar to the newspeak of 1984.

The dropping of the term dark ages isn't about being politically correct, it's about being correct. Our understanding of what the medieval period looked like changed dramatically, complements of the gradual purge of incredibly terrible Victorian scholarship, and the terms changed with it. As for the rest of your comment, I'm not even getting into it on this forum.

[Bartmanhomer]

I never played a Dungeons and Dragons game in my entire life.

[8BitNinja]

I never played a Dungeons and Dragons game in my entire life.

I'm pretty sure many people on this forum haven't

I miss your old avatar (the picture of Homer chasing Bart with a Morning Star)

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm pretty sure many people on this forum haven't

I miss your old avatar (the picture of Homer chasing Bart with a Morning Star)

I never have an avatar like that before. Where can I find one?

[8BitNinja]

I never have an avatar like that before. Where can I find one?

Really? I'm pretty sure you did.

I must be thinking of someone else.

[Rater202]

Somebody had a picture of homer chasing bart with a flail if that's who you're thinking of.

I typed "somepony" by accident three times before I had the above sentence right.

[Aedilred]

Somebody had a picture of homer chasing bart with a flail if that's who you're thinking of.

That's Gnoman's avatar.

[8BitNinja]

Somebody had a picture of homer chasing bart with a flail.

Sorry, flail. I get mixed up sometimes when talking about medieval weapons

That's Gnoman's avatar.

Thank you

[Now Laugh]

I never burp. I just loudly have high pitched hiccups. It's simultaneously less, and more embarrassing.

I don't sneeze I just blink for a long period of time

[8BitNinja]

I can't snap

[rooster707]

I can't snap

Snap... what?

[Black Socks]

I secretly root for a different sports team than the rest of my family. They must never know this, or they will pummel me with their Leafs hockey sticks.

[Lethologica]

Snap... what?

A football, of course! 8BitNinja would make a terrible center linebacker. no it's his fingers

[Vinyadan]

I can't snap

Oh, snap!
snapsnapsnap10char

[8BitNinja]

Snap... what?

I can't snap my fingers

[goto124]

I can't whistle.

[JohnTheSavage]

i can't snap

i can't whistle.

ohmygodithoughtitwasjustme!

[Dire Moose]

I can neither snap my fingers nor whistle.

[Starwulf]

I have played over 200 hours of Skyrim

My response to this is a confession: I've not played less then 500 hours on ANY TES game, even Arena/Oblivion, and Daggerfall/Morrowind have well over 2,000 hours clocked in, and Daggerfall is likely closer to 5k.

I hate being around kids. And pretty much everything about them. Note that I don't necessarily hate the kids themselves- I acknowledge that they can't help being kids- but I despise being around them and/or having anything at all to do with them. I cannot imagine a single situation that would be improved by adding kids, or one that would NOT be improved by removing them. And I don't just mean bratty, annoying kids, I include polite and well-behaved children in this statement as well.

I am also one of about three people I have ever met who do not automagically find (human) babies cute. I have never seen a cute larval human in my life. Baby animals, on the other hand...

I have two children, and I didn't think either of them were "cute" or "adorable" when they were first born. Hell, my first daughter literally looked like a conehead. Seriously, not joking even one bit, her head was like elongated somewhat at birth, I have the pictures to prove it!

I can count on one hand the amount of "Babies" I've seen that are truly adorable, and none of those are ones I've met, all of them were in movies or commercials.

[rooster707]

I can't snap my fingers

Me neither.

[blunk]

So many dreams of acting in West Side Story, shattered

[8BitNinja]

Every time I log in, I fear that I am about to get a PM notification from someone who is angry at me

[Lethologica]

Every time I log in, I fear that I am about to get a PM notification from someone who is angry at me

Same, except the someone is a mod. (Well, that comes and goes, depending on what sort of arguments I've had recently.)

[2D8HP]

And now it's my turn to be "that guy"...

The term "dark ages" is now deprecated among historians and it's rare to find it used at face value in a reputable publication. Meanwhile "Middle Ages" does in fact refer to the entire period from the fall of Rome through to the Renaissance (being the "middle" between antiquity and modernity). Traditionally, though, "Dark Ages" and "Middle Ages" were pretty much synonymous.

It's finally come to this one.

I still use the term dark ages.

The dropping of the term dark ages isn't about being politically correct, it's about being correct.

I confess that while it's probably too late to bring the subject back up, since I'm a history buff (and just saw these pro and con "Dark Ages" articles), I will anyway.
So for your consideration:
Back to the Dark Ages
Defending the 'Dark Ages'
The 'Dark Ages': The Tintagel Problem

[Vinyadan]

Just be aware that non Anglophone scholars may simply have never used the term and find it funny or inaccurate. Petrarch's been dead for a while. Even in Italy, no one uses the term any more for the Middle Ages, while it is used for the unknown years before the emergence of poleis in Greece.

[Velaryon]

I have two children, and I didn't think either of them were "cute" or "adorable" when they were first born. Hell, my first daughter literally looked like a conehead. Seriously, not joking even one bit, her head was like elongated somewhat at birth, I have the pictures to prove it!

I can count on one hand the amount of "Babies" I've seen that are truly adorable, and none of those are ones I've met, all of them were in movies or commercials.

With the exception of obvious differences such as ethnicity, babies pretty much all look the same to me - and it isn't anything I would describe as cute. Maybe if I ever have one of my own someday I'll feel differently, but in the meantime there are few things I hate more than being forced to look at baby pictures and try to gush over how "cute" they are. I'm not a good liar.

[8BitNinja]

I used to find the Cory in the House anime joke funny

I also try to be funny on this forum, but end up either looking like I'm insane or just a complete idiot.