Prospectus

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Gothic

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

Students who have not followed the course Language and culture of the Indo-Europeans are advised to purchase and study the reader of that course.

Students from other programmes than the BA Linguistics should first contact the coordinator of studies (stuco-ba-linguistics@hum.leidenuniv.nl).

Description

The Gothic language is the oldest substantially documented Germanic language and was spoken by the barbarian confederations of the Goths and the Vandals in the final days of the Roman Empire. The Gothic language is primarily known to us from sixth-century Italian manuscripts which contain a fourth-century Bible translation. Additional witnesses to the Gothic language can be found in Gothic Runic inscriptions, Gothic epigraphic inscriptions and Gothic religious tractates. Because of its antiquity, the Gothic language can serve as a starting point for the linguistic comparison of the Germanic languages, offering a similar archaic language stage as Latin does for the Romance language family.

Course objectives

During this course, the student will become acquainted with Gothic grammar and acquire a reading proficiency in Biblical Gothic. At the end of the course, the student will be able to read the Gothic Bible independently with help of a dictionary. Additionally, the student will acquire a basic understanding of the position of the Gothic language with the Germanic language group as well as within to the Indo-European language family.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lecture

Assessment method

Assessment

  • written final examination

  • weekly grammar and/or vocabulary tests

Weighing

  • written final examination: 80%

  • eight in-class grammar and/or vocabulary tests: 20%

  • of the in-class tests an average of 5.5 or higher is required to gain access to the final exam

Resit

If the weighted average is insufficient, there is a resit for the final examination at the end of the semester.

inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will be organized.

Reading list

Syllabus, made available through Brightspace. Additional recommended, but non-obligatory reading: D. Gary Miller. 2019. The Oxford Gothic grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Registration

Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs

Contact

For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar

For questions related to the content of the course, please contact the lecturer, you can find their contact information by clicking on their name in the sidebar.

For questions regarding enrollment please contact the Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats E-mail address Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats: osz-oa-reuvensplaats@hum.leidenuniv.nl

For questions regarding your studyprogress contact the Coordinator of Studies

Remarks