LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing the instruments for the understanding of the linguistic and cultural evolution of the Germanic languages from their old phase onwards, thus allowing students to acquire the methods for a correct interpretation of Old English texts.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and skills: students will be able to understand and describe the evolution of the ancient Germanic languages and culture, paying particular attention to the Old English language, literature and culture, which will allow them to read, analyse and comment on Old English texts of average difficulty.  On the basis of the study of the problems and methods of textual criticism, they will be able to use critical editions and other instruments, such as historical grammars and dictionaries.

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge and skills taught by prof. Benati, Germanic Philology I A (first semester)

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lectures with the support of the platform Aulaweb

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• Introduction to the Anglo-Saxon history and culture and to the Old English literary production
• Phonetic evolution from West Germanic to the Old English dialects
• Old English dialectal areas
• Elements of Old English morphology and syntax
• Elements of Old English lexicon (Indoeuropean and Germanic heritage, loan words, calques, word formation)
• Introduction to one or more Old English 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 A dell’a.a. 2018-2019”, ed. C. HÄNDL (see aula web);

- G. MAZZUOLI PORRU: Manuale di inglese antico, Giardini, Pisa 1977, pp. 11-25, pp. 36-37, pp. 74-78, 79-87, pp. 111-130

- 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);

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

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

- A.M. LUISELLI FADDA: Tradizioni manoscritte e critica del testo nel medioevo germanico, Edizioni Laterza, Roma-Bari, 9th edition 2007 (or previous editions)

- 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, 2a edizione 2013