Ateneo - UPO

In the first part, we will explain the classification of the Germanic languages (regarding the different theories of the following scholars, as Schleicher, Schmidt, Kuhn, Roesel e Bahnick), together with the history of the Germanic people.
The second part is related to the germanic linguistics, eg. the transition from Proto-Indoeuropean to Proto-Germanic language. We will analyze differences and similarities about Indoeuropean and Germanic languages, as the word-stress accent and its consequences, the vowel and consonantic systems, morphology (nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numbers and verbs) and lexicon (Indoeuropean terms and Germanic terms, Latin loanwords in Germanic languages and Germanic loanwords in Italian).
The third parts will concern literature, i.e. the production in Gothic (Ulfila's Bible translation and other religious works), Anglo-Saxon (from its origin up to Low Middle Age about epic-eroic, religious, encomiastic and allegorical poetry, together with prose works); Old High German (the different dialectal areas in which the almost religious production was composed, as Bavarian, Alemannic, Franconian); Old Low German (Saxon and low Franconian religious production); Old Icelandic (verse and prose production).
The last section will be related to the scribes working in Medieval monasteries; for instance the preparation of parchement and writing of the manuscripts. The course will conclude with the visit at Vercelli Archivio e Biblioteca Capitolare.

The following texts are recommended:
Vittoria Dolcetti Corazza-Renato Gendre, Moduli di Filologia germanica. 1. La filologia germanica, Dell'Orso, Alessandria 2000
Anna Maria Luiselli Fadda, Tradizioni manoscritte e critica del testo nel medioevo germanico, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1994
The slides of the course are available in DIR. Further texts will be distributed during the lessons by the teacher.

Students will be able to understand the world of the ancient Germanic people in all its aspects from cultural, linguistic and literary points of view.

A good knowledge of Medieval history, as well as of modern English or German could be useful to understand the linguistic and literary aspects.

Lectures. Class attendance is strongly recommened, in particular for the part regarding linguistics.

Class attendance is strongly recommended, in particular regarding the linguistic section.

Written exam, consisting in 10 open-ended questions about the course-topics. Students will have 90 minuts to complete the test.

In the first part, we will explain the classification of the Germanic languages (regarding the different theories of the following scholars, as Schleicher, Schmidt, Kuhn, Roesel e Bahnick), together with the history of the Germanic people.
The second part is related to the germanic linguistics, eg. the transition from Proto-Indoeuropean to Proto-Germanic language. We will analyze differences and similarities about Indoeuropean and Germanic languages, as the word-stress accent and its consequences, the vowel and consonantic systems, morphology (nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numbers and verbs) and lexicon (Indoeuropean terms and Germanic terms, Latin loanwords in Germanic languages and Germanic loanwords in Italian).
The third parts will concern literature, i.e. the production in Gothic (Ulfila's Bible translation and other religious works), Anglo-Saxon (from its origin up to Low Middle Age about epic-eroic, religious, encomiastic and allegorical poetry, together with prose works); Old High German (the different dialectal areas in which the almost religious production was composed, as Bavarian, Alemannic, Franconian); Old Low German (Saxon and low Franconian religious production); Old Icelandic (verse and prose production).
The last section will be related to the scribes working in Medieval monasteries; for instance the preparation of parchement and writing of the manuscripts. The course will conclude with the visit at Vercelli Archivio e Biblioteca Capitolare.

Students will be able to understand the ancient Germanic world, in all different aspects, from cultural, linguistic and literary points of view.