Ye Olde
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ye Olde is a pseudo-Early Modern English stock prefix, used anachronistically, suggestive of a Deep England feel.
A typical example would be Ye Olde English Pubbe or similar names of theme pubs.
The use of the term "ye" to "the" is based in the Early Modern English (Tudor period) scribal abbreviation 
("þͤ" with modern symbols), the letter thorn (þ) with a combining e.[1] Because thorn and Y look very nearly identical in medieval English blackletter, the two were frequently substituted for each other. The connection became less obvious after the thorn letter was discontinued in favor of the digraph th in the English language (resulting from the use of printing presses from France which lacked a way to print thorn).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Look up ye olde in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- GoodWords.com, Ye Olde English Sayings
- Englandinn.com, Ye Olde England Inn, a mock-Tudor hotel complete with references to Dickens and warm beer.
- Askoxford.com, Oxford Dictionary's FAQ: Why is 'ye' used instead of 'the' in antique English?
