Orthographic Evidence Reflecting a Formation Process of an Exeter Book Archetype

Abstract The spelling system of the Exeter Book is standardized to a considerable degree. However, the indicative preterite plural ending of verbs seems to have been exempt from this standardization process, appearing in four different forms: -on, -an, -un, and -um. Among these variants, the third one is the most conservative, and its substantial use is confined to Anglian(-derived) texts. While it is attested only very sparingly in Old English poetic codices as well as in non-Anglian texts, it occurs exceptionally frequently in the first half of the Exeter Book up to Juliana. Manuscript evidence suggests that the Exeter scribe was a mechanical copyist as far as those variants are concerned; thus, the use of -un and other variants likely derives from the exemplar(s). The fact that -un (as well as its minor variant -um) concentrates in the first half of the codex, with its minimal presence in the second half, suggests that the first half of the codex—originating from an Anglian archetype—was compiled prior to its combination with the second half. This study serves as a case analysis focussing on orthographic peculiarities that can contribute to the elucidation of a formation process of an Old English poetic codex.