An online blog-based project by "Kevin Rainbow, Ednew English ("Restored English") is a modality of the English language similar to Anglish, but differentiated from it in one major respect: while Anglish strives to eradicate words of non-English origin from the English language, Ednew English strictly strives to reintroduce extinct, archaic, and obsolete words back into English, while making no particular goal of removing non-English words. The Wordbook for it is to be found here, organised by alphabetical order.
As Rainbow himself states on the landing page of his project blog,
Ednew English is dedicated to an awareness and restoration primarly of native English words.... It is hoped that Ednew English may encourage English speakers to appreciate these words of their own language and to use and enjoy them.
He further states that the words given greatest priority for this treatment are as follows:
- Words that are being discriminated against and labelled as "old" "archaic" or "obsolete."
- Words that are stuck in spellings that are incompatable with modern speech. Ednew English restores these words by giving them new spellings, based on the evolutions of sounds and spellings.
- Prefixes and suffixes that are being used less and less or are almost completely forgotten.
- Original meanings that our dictionaries often don't include anymore.
The following is a sample text of Ednew English, giving the prologue of Beowulf with obsolete English words reintroduced into what is otherwise a recognisably modern English translation from the original Old English:
What! We of Goredanes' in days of yore / Of theedkings' thrim heard in our lore / How the athelings ellen bore. / Oft Shield Sheaving from foeband's stead / From many maiths, meadsettles led, / Left earls in awe. Since erst was poor / Feeshaft foundling, he fared to more, / Waxed under welkins, in worthy labours, / Till ever each and all his neighbours, / Over whaleroad, a-hearing should, / Yield him tribute. That king was good!
Ednew English also makes extensive use of English "Strong Verbs," those which are subject to English ablaut, such as "wake, woke" and "sing, sang, sung." Several hundred such verbs have fallen into disuse, or had their usage regularised into different inflections in modern English. Rainbow provides an extensive list of these here.
Iron Noder 2022, 13/30