OVERVIEW

The course offers an introduction to old German, with particular attention to the historic, cultural, linguistic and literary features of the High German language area.

AIMS AND CONTENT

TEACHING METHODS

Traditional

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course offers an introduction to old German, with particular attention to the historic, cultural, linguistic and literary features of the High German language area.

Detailed programme:

1) Introduction to the Old German history and culture and to the Old German literary production

2) Phonetic evolution from West Germanic to the Old High German dialects

3) Old German dialectal areas

4) Elements of Old High German morphology and syntax

5) Elements of Old High German lexicon (Indoeuropean and Germanic heritage, loan words, calques, word formation)

6) Introduction to one or more Old High German original texts, analysis of the manuscript tradition; linguistic analysis of selected passages, philological and etymological commentary to a series of terms included in the passages taken into consideration during the course.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

- “Materiali inerenti al Corso II B dell’a.a. 2016-2017” , ed. C. Händl (see aula web);

- A. SCAFFIDI ABBATE: Introduzione allo studio dell'antico tedesco e dei suoi documenti letterari, Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici: Roma 1989, pp. 1-32, pp. 54-131;

- C. HÄNDL: La letteratura tedesca medievale, I: Dalle origini all'età precortese, Edizioni ETS: Pisa, 2nd edition 2002, pp. 1-109

In addition, for further reading, one of the following texts:

- M. GODDEN - M. LAPIDGE (eds.): The Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature, 2nd edition Cambridge 2013, pp. 1-18 (The social and political background), pp. 142-159 (Beowulf), pp. 264-281 (The world of Anglo-Saxon learning

- A.M. LUISELLI FADDA, Tradizioni manoscritte e critica del testo nel medioevo germanico, Edizioni Laterza, Roma-Bari, 9th edition 2013

- P. SCARDIGLI, Lingua e storia dei Goti, Sansoni, Firenze 1964

- P. SCARDIGLI, Goti e Longobardi. Studi di Filologia germanica, Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici, Roma 1987

- A.A. SOMERVILLE - R.A. McDonald: The Vikings and their Age, University of Toronto Press, Toronto 22013

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CHIARA BENATI (President)

CLAUDIA THERESIA HANDL (President)

LESSONS

Class schedule

GERMANIC PHILOLOGY II B

EXAMS

Exam schedule