INSTRUCTORS:
This class offers a survey of the older Germanic languages including Gothic, Old Norse, and Old English, as well as the content and contexts of the surviving texts written in those languages. Defining “philology” broadly as the study of culture through languages and texts, we will take a range of approaches to the material, including literary, linguistic, and historical perspectives. Additionally, we will consider the interrelationships of the different Germanic languages, from the perspectives of both comparative philology and historical contacts.
Students are not expected to have prior familiarity with any language other than modern English. Coursework involves readings, philological exercises, and the study of short, glossed excerpts from medieval texts. The overall aim is to provide a basic familiarity with the methods and subject matter of Germanic philology, and to make the medieval languages and texts that provide the field’s raw data appear less unfamiliar.
Weekly Schedule
There will be two 1-hour lectures and two 1-hour weekly discussion sessions as assigned.
Week 1
- Survey of the Germanic Languages
- A History of Comparative Philology
Week 2
- Language and Language Change
- Beyond Language: What is “Germanic”?
Week 3
- The Goths: History and Legend
- The Linguistic Character of Gothic I: Phonology and Orthography
Week 4
- The Linguistic Character of Gothic II: Morphology and Translation
- Gothic, Early Runic, and Proto-Germanic
Week 5
- The History and Character of Old Norse
- Norse East and West
Week 6
- Norse Poetry: Eddaic and Scaldic
- Norse Prose in Norway and Iceland
Week 7
- Echoes of Ragnarok: Norse Mythology
- The Linguistic Character of Old English
Week 8
- Old English in Britain
- Old English Poetry and Prose
Week 9
- Beowulf and Philology
- Early Middle English
Week 10
- Old Saxon
- Old Frisian
Week 11
- Early Dutch
- Old and Middle High German
Week 12
- North, South, East, and West: Grouping the Germanic Languages
- “Old” and “Middle”: Periodizing the Germanic Languages
Required Texts
The Amazon links are provided for convenience only, and we encourage students to purchase texts wherever they wish.
Recommended Text: Green, D.H. Language and History in the Early Germanic World, Revised Ed., 2000.
Course History
This course has been offered in the following semesters.
| Semester | Preceptor(s) |
|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | Dr. Paul Peterson & Dr. Nelson Goering |
| Fall 2019 | Dr. Paul Peterson & Dr. Nelson Goering |
| Fall 2017 | Dr. Paul Peterson & Dr. Nelson Goering |
