Teaching code

4S004058

Teacher

Maria Adele Cipolla

Coordinator

Maria Adele Cipolla

Credits

6

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-FIL-LET/15 - GERMANIC PHILOLOGY

Period

1 A, 1 B

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course covers methods and contents of historical linguistics, paleography and codicology, textual criticism and digital philology, cultural history (all referred to the Germanic languages and their traditions) and aims at transmitting advanced knowledges of the principal aspects of Germanic Philology. Expected results: - Advanced knowledge on methodologies and cultural contents which are necessary to analyse and interpret Germanic linguistic and literary traditions. - Delve into the main multidisciplinary aspects of Germanic Philology and reinforce the mastery of a correct and accurate specialistic terminology. - Delve into the main specialistic fields of Germanic Philology (historical linguistics, textual criticism and digital philology, paleography and codicology and cultural history), mainly focussing on historical linguistics, in compliance with the learning outcomes of the Master Degree in Linguistics.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Knowledge of a modern Germanic language (English, German or a Scandinavian language) is advisable.

Program

The course will face relevant aspects of the linguistic comparison of the Germanic languages, from the Late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages, through the manuscript documentation of the single emerging linguistic variants.
The course will be divided into 3 parts:
The first part (14 hours - 7 lectures), will introduce to the emergence of old Germanic cultures and to their peculiar aspects; then the history and principles of the Germanic linguistics will be reassessed. The comparative analysis will focus on the specific features of the attested linguistic variants (that is the language of the inscriptions in older and younger fuþark; Bibical Gothic; Old English; Old Norwegian-Icelandic), which will be treated in their phonology, morphology and syntax, and vocabulary. These lectures qualify as a general introduction to the course.
The second part (14 hours - 7 lectures) will introduce to the emergence of writing in ancient and medieval Germanic groups, along with the related socio-cultural phenomena, as the increasing relationships with Greek and Roman literacy and the conversion to Christianity; then, it will pay attention to the disciplines dealing with written documents (epigraphy, paleography, codicology) and to their treatment in textual scholarship and in the critical editing (ecdotics, textual criticism).
The third part (14 hours - 7 lectures) will take into consideration the philological issues posited in some written documents, from the runic epigraphic corpus and from a selection of handwritten books (whose texts will be read and analysed): the selected texts belong to the tradition of Biblical Gothic (a passage from Matthew’s Gospel handed down in two manuscript witnesses: The Denial of Peter, Mt 26,1-27,1), to Old English (Harrowing of Hell, from the Junius MS in Oxford) and from Old Norwegian-Icelandic (Baarlaams saga ok Jósafats and Niðrstigningar saga). Students will be trained in reading written documents (through their digital facsimiles) and in interpreting them through the methods of historical linguistics, stylistics and textual criticism.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

As indicated by the University for the academic year 2022/2023, the course will be in presence. Any changes will be announced before the start of the course on the instructor's web page and on the Moodle platform, to which everyone is required to sign up. The course materials for attending students consist of the selected bibliography in Leganto, the lectures and other materials that will be available on Moodle. The program for non-attending students must be agreed in advance with the instructor. Non-attending students are supposed to contact the instructor via email (please use your institutional address @studenti.univr.it). The selected bibliography in Leganto will be further detailed during the course.

Learning assessment procedures

There will be an oral exam following the official schedule published by the University. For attending students there will be a pre-call that will be announced during the course. For non-attending students the exam will be oral and will follow the same criteria.

Evaluation criteria

The exam aims both to assess the knowledge acquired during the course and the ability to address the topics and establish connections among them. The evaluation will also concern the correct presentation as well as the appropriate use of the philological language.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final assessment is expressed out of 30/30 (min. 18/30) and it is to be understood as an overall evaluation of the achieved results.

Exam language

English