What language was spoken/written by the venerable bede/ pre Beowulf period?
The language spoken and written during the time of the Venerable Bede and the pre-Beowulf period is Old English. To arrive at this answer, you can follow these steps:
1. First, identify the time period and individuals mentioned in the question. In this case, we have the Venerable Bede and the pre-Beowulf period.
2. The Venerable Bede was an English monk and scholar who lived in the 7th and 8th centuries. He is known for his writings in Latin, but his works also contain traces of Old English.
3. The pre-Beowulf period refers to a time before the Beowulf epic was written down, estimated to be between the 6th and 8th centuries.
4. Considering the time frame and the region (England) during these periods, the language predominantly spoken and written was Old English.
Therefore, in summary, the language spoken and written by the Venerable Bede and in the pre-Beowulf period was Old English.