GERMANIC PHILOLOGY

Knowledge of the earliest stages of the Germanic languages and the history and traditions of the Germanic peoples from the late Antiquity to the High Middle Ages.

Learning of the basic linguistic and philological tools for the study of Ancient and High Medieval Germanic texts.

Traditional /Lectures.

Translation exercise from original texts.

Attendance in this course is highly recommended.

Basic knowledge of articulatory phonetics and Indo-Europeanism.

Knowledge of English at the A2 level of the European Framework.

• 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.
• Indo-European and Germanic accent.
• The Germanic languages and their subdivision.
• Isoglosses of the Germanic languages.
• Indo-European and Germanic Ablaut.
• Essentials of Germanic morphology: Strong and Weak verbs; Preterite Present and Athematic verbs.
• The Germanic 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 the written tradition.

• ·     Elliott, Ralph W. V., Runes. An Introduction, Cambridge [Manchester University Press] 1980, pp. 1-20; 45-75.

  ·     Molinari, Maria Vittoria, La filologia germanica, Bologna [Zanichelli] 1987, pp. 5-76; 77-82; 87; 91-108; 118-135; 151-160.

  ·     Saibene, Maria Grazia/ Buzzoni, Marina, Manuale di linguistica germanica, Milano [Monduzzi] 2006, pp. 75-96; 107-113; 115-122; 127-154; 269-307.

  ·     Notes about phonology, linguistic reconstruction, runic inscriptions, culture topics will be available on STUDIUM.

The assessment of learning goals will consist of an written intermediate test (not mandatory, but strongly recommended) and an oral examination.

Intermediate test

The intermediate test will focus on the skills acquired regarding the chronology of Germanic, linguistic reconstruction, the subdivision of Germanic languages, the phonological change of Germanic from Indo-European, and verb morphology. The test will consist of ten questions. The manner in which the test will be conducted will be announced in class. 

Oral examination

The oral examination will cover the cultural content of the discipline (institutions of the Germanic peoples, mythology, contacts with the non-Germanic world, the runic script and the literary traditions of ancient Germanic languages).

For the final assessment, in addition to taking into account the grade obtained in the in itinere test (in case it was successful), the candidate's mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical propriety, and the argumentative ability demonstrated by the candidate will be evaluated; in addition, the candidate's critical skills in establishing relationships and connections between the various aspects of the discipline will be taken into account.

Periodization and chronology of reconstructed Germanic.

Indo-European heritage in Germanic.

The triad of deities worshiped by the Germans according to Tacitus.

Social institutions among the Germans.