Since the Anglo-Saxon period a northern English dialect was spoken in the south-east of Scotland (besides Gaelic in the north and west, and Old Norse on the Orkney and Shetland Islands). On the basis of this variety of Old English a universal literary standard had developed by the end of the fourteenth century ('Middle Scots', also known as 'Inglis' amongst their writers), which was prevalent until the seventeenth century, when it was superseded by 'Standard English', based on the London chancery language. However, 'Scots' continued to be used as a spoken language and even led to the development of a significant dialect literature during the eighteenth century (Robert Burns). In this seminar, we will read texts from various periods and genres and analyse them with regard to linguistic, literary and cultural aspects. All participants are expected to have some basic knowledge of Old and/or Middle English. You are also required to give a short presentation.
The
set text
is M. Görlach,
A Textual History of Scots (Heidelberg, 2002) (ISBN 3-8253-1073-6).
It is essential that students will have visited the following links to get a further impression of the course:
