Prospectus

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Gothic

Course
2024-2025

Admission requirements

This course does not impose any official admission requirements. However, given the heavy use of linguistic concepts and terminology, completion of an introductory course in historical linguistics, such as the BA course ‘Language and culture of the Indo-Europeans’ (5511VE004), is highly advisable.

Description

Gothic stands out as the earliest substantially documented Germanic language. It was spoken by the Barbarian confederations of the Goths and the Vandals in the final days of the Roman Empire. The language is primarily attested through the fourth-century Gothic Bible translated from Greek by bishop Wulfila of the Visigoths. Additional sources include runic inscriptions, epigraphic sources and religious tractates. Due to its antiquity, Gothic is of central importance to the study of the Germanic languages.

Course objectives

This course acquaints students with fundamental aspects of Gothic phonology and morphology. It guides students toward developing the skills necessary for independently reading Biblical Gothic, with the aid of dictionaries and grammatical resources. Through Gothic, students are encouraged to explore the deep links between the various Germanic languages, encompassing English, Frisian, Dutch, German and the Nordic languages. Additionally, students are introduced to the key principles required for analyzing the position of Germanic within the broader Indo-European language family.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lecture and seminars

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Several in-class vocabulary and/or grammar tests

  • Written examination with open questions and translation questions

Weighing

  • In-class tests: 20%

  • Written test: 80%

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.

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

For questions regarding your studyprogress contact the Coordinator of Studies

Remarks