GERMANIC PHILOLOGY

General aims of the course are: 1) knowledge of the Germanic languages and the history and traditions of Germanic peoples from the late antiquity to the Early Middle Ages; 2) learning of the basic linguistic and philological tools for the study of ancient and medieval Germanic texts.

- The reconstructed Germanic protolanguage: methods of historical-comparative linguistics;

- Relative chronology of the Germanic protolanguage: Proto-Germanic and Common Germanic;

- From Indo-European to Germanic: consonant and vowel phonetic change;

- The Germanic languages;

- Essentials of Germanic morphology: strong and weak verbs; the preterite-present verbs;

- The futhark and the runic writing system;

- Culture and institutions of the ancient Germanic peoples;

- Contacts with the non-Germanic world;

- Names of the days of the week;

- Germanic and Nordic mythology;

-The conversion and the beginnings of a written tradition.

- Text collection: Atta unsar (Our Father in Gothic), Inscription on the Golden Horn of Gallehus, Second Merseburg Charm, Old Saxon Baptismal Vow, Cædmon’s Hymn, Inscription on the Franks Casket (front panel), selected passages from Tacitus’ Germania, Hildebrandslied, Beowulf, Vǫluspá, Hávamál, Cynewulf’s Elene.

Handbooks

- R. W. V. Elliott, Runes. An Introduction, Cambridge 1980.

- M. V. Molinari, La filologia germanica, Bologna 1987.

- Lecture notes about phonology, linguistic reconstruction, runic inscriptions, culture topics and a reader with original texts will be available on Studium.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.