Englisches Seminar
Universität Münster

SPRACHWISSENSCHAFTLICHES PROSEMINAR:
THE LANGUAGE OF OLD ENGLISH TEXTS

WS 04/05
Tu 11-13, Room 401
Oliver M. Traxel


The Anglo-Saxon or Old English period has fascinated scholars since the sixteenth century, when the first modern editions of texts written during that time were published. From the date of the first written records from around 700 until the Norman Conquest of 1066 the language spoken in England was quite different from that of today and even has close similarities to German. It is therefore an ideal starting point for students interested in the history of English.

In this seminar we will learn the most important grammatical aspects and the proper pronunciation of Old English. The focus will be on two prose texts, which will be translated in class, namely an early story from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, known as Cynewulf and Cyneheard, and a later saint's life by Ælfric of Eynsham (c.950-c.1010) on the martyrdom of St Edmund. Prospective participants of this seminar should have taken part in a Sprachhistorischer Grundkurs. In preparation for this course you should also read R. Hogg, An Introduction to Old English (Edinburgh, 2002) [S GA 2002:1] before classes start.

The set text is B. Mitchell and F. C. Robinson, A Guide to Old English, 6th ed. (Oxford, 2001) (ISBN 0-631-22636-2), and copies should be bought in advance, for example, at Poertgen-Herder in the Salzstr., or at amazon.de.

It is essential that candidates will have visited the following links to get a further impression of the course and to broaden their understanding of the subject matter:

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