Admission requirements
Basic knowledge of classical Greek grammar.
Description
The course is aimed at acquiring the skill of using the sound laws that occurred between Proto-Indo-European and the various ancient Greek dialects, especially Ionic-Attic, in the reconstruction of Proto-Greek and Proto-Indo-European from Greek data, and in predicting the Greek outcomes of reconstructed earlier stages. We will also deal with the origin, functioning and variation of the various Greek writing systems. The knowledge will be applied in reading and analyzing some of the oldest Greek inscriptions, including some Mycenaean, and in making exercizes in which Greek data either have to be used to reconstruct earlier stages, or have to be predicted on the basis of protoforms.
Course objectives
After this course, the student will be able to…
reconstruct Proto-Greek and Proto-Indo-European forms on the basis of Greek forms.
name and describe the sound laws that took place between Proto-Indo-European and Greek, and recognize their results in Greek forms.
apply Greek sound laws to reconstructed Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Greek forms and so predict the Greek outcome.
define the most important Greek dialects and dialect groups in terms of sound laws and to locate them in space and time.
interpret epichoric and classical Greek spellings phonologically, and predict them on the basis of phonological considerations.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the “MA Linguistics website”: http://hum.leiden.edu/linguistics/timetables-linguistics/timetableslinguistics.html.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Course Load
Total course load: 140 hours.
Seminar: 26 hours
Assignment(s): 50 hours
Preparation exam and paper: 64 hours
Assessment method
Assessment - mid-term exam (written examination with short open questions)
- final paper
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by (i) determination of the weighted average combined with (ii) the additional requirement that both the mid-term exam and the final paper be sufficient.
Resit
Students may take a resit of each insufficiently completed part.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
- extra documents, if applicable
Reading list
Reader (will be distributed after the first class)
More information can be found in Rix, Helmut. Historische Grammatik des Griechischen: Laut- und Formenlehre. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, but this book will not be used in class.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
When registering, students that are registered for the specialisation that this course belongs to, or the Research Master, take priority. The deadline for registration is August 15. All other students should contact the “coordinator of studies”:http://hum.leiden.edu/linguistics/advice-linguistics/.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable