ID:
1/27
Duration (hours):
54
CFU:
9
SSD:
Germanic Philology
Located in:
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Url:
Comparative Languages and Cultures/Percorso comune Year: 2
Year:
2026
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (28/09/2026 - 15/01/2027)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course contributes to the achievement of the educational objectives of the Bachelor degree program in Comparative Languages and Cultures, promoting the knowledge of the history, literature and culture of the Germanic languages studied. In particular, the course provides the theoretical foundations and operational tools to understand ancient Germanic culture, from its origins to the medieval period and the linguistic characteristics of reconstructed Proto-Germanic. Through the discussion of the linguistic and literary specificities of the ancient Germanic languages, the student will recognize and understand their common cultural roots and the continuity between the forms and structures of the medieval Germanic languages and those of the modern Germanic languages. Students will also acquire a broad knowledge of the contacts between the classical world and the Germanic world, and between this and other medieval languages and cultures, and will be able to understand the outcomes of such contacts. During the course students will approach texts in the original language, and they will translate, analyse and discuss them according to the theoretical lines and methodological skills acquired.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, students will be able, on the basis of the theoretical knowledge and the critical tools acquired:
- to know and understand, in a comparative perspective, the main phenomena of the linguistic change of reconstructed Proto-Germanic and of the medieval Germanic languages, also in view of their present linguistic developments;
- to know and understand the main cultural, religious and literary manifestations of the Germanic world through the texts relating to that area;
- to recognize the main phenomena of linguistic change of the Germanic languages and explain their relevance in a diachronic and comparative perspective;
- to approach the translation and linguistic and historical-cultural analysis of a text written in a Germanic language, on the basis of the knowledge acquired and making use of the analysis tools introduced during the course.
FURTHER LEARNING OUTCOMES
Making judgments:
At the end of the course, students will be able to orient themselves confidently in the critical debate on Germanic philology topics, finding data and information relating to linguistic, literary, historical-cultural phenomena of the ancient and medieval Germanic world and interpreting them autonomously, also finding solutions to specific problems in the field.
Communication skills:
At the end of the course, students will be able to illustrate concepts, topics and problems dealt with in the course in a clear, effective and linguistically appropriate way, using the register relevant to the communicative situation. They will also be able to use correctly the specific philological terminology in relation to the contents of the course.
Learning ability:
At the end of the course, students will be able to develop and use the contents of the course in different contexts. They will also be able to adequately use the reference texts and tools and the acquired methodologies to continue their studies in the field of Germanic philology and Germanic languages and literatures in general.
This course contributes to the achievement of the educational objectives of the Bachelor degree program in Comparative Languages and Cultures, promoting the knowledge of the history, literature and culture of the Germanic languages studied. In particular, the course provides the theoretical foundations and operational tools to understand ancient Germanic culture, from its origins to the medieval period and the linguistic characteristics of reconstructed Proto-Germanic. Through the discussion of the linguistic and literary specificities of the ancient Germanic languages, the student will recognize and understand their common cultural roots and the continuity between the forms and structures of the medieval Germanic languages and those of the modern Germanic languages. Students will also acquire a broad knowledge of the contacts between the classical world and the Germanic world, and between this and other medieval languages and cultures, and will be able to understand the outcomes of such contacts. During the course students will approach texts in the original language, and they will translate, analyse and discuss them according to the theoretical lines and methodological skills acquired.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, students will be able, on the basis of the theoretical knowledge and the critical tools acquired:
- to know and understand, in a comparative perspective, the main phenomena of the linguistic change of reconstructed Proto-Germanic and of the medieval Germanic languages, also in view of their present linguistic developments;
- to know and understand the main cultural, religious and literary manifestations of the Germanic world through the texts relating to that area;
- to recognize the main phenomena of linguistic change of the Germanic languages and explain their relevance in a diachronic and comparative perspective;
- to approach the translation and linguistic and historical-cultural analysis of a text written in a Germanic language, on the basis of the knowledge acquired and making use of the analysis tools introduced during the course.
FURTHER LEARNING OUTCOMES
Making judgments:
At the end of the course, students will be able to orient themselves confidently in the critical debate on Germanic philology topics, finding data and information relating to linguistic, literary, historical-cultural phenomena of the ancient and medieval Germanic world and interpreting them autonomously, also finding solutions to specific problems in the field.
Communication skills:
At the end of the course, students will be able to illustrate concepts, topics and problems dealt with in the course in a clear, effective and linguistically appropriate way, using the register relevant to the communicative situation. They will also be able to use correctly the specific philological terminology in relation to the contents of the course.
Learning ability:
At the end of the course, students will be able to develop and use the contents of the course in different contexts. They will also be able to adequately use the reference texts and tools and the acquired methodologies to continue their studies in the field of Germanic philology and Germanic languages and literatures in general.
Course Prerequisites
For all students, especially for non-attending students:
Basic knowledge of phonetics: important
Minimal knowledge of general and historical linguistics: useful
Knowledge of the modern Germanic languages (English, German) at intermediate level: very useful
Basic knowledge of phonetics: important
Minimal knowledge of general and historical linguistics: useful
Knowledge of the modern Germanic languages (English, German) at intermediate level: very useful
Teaching Methods
The course is organized into a first part including lectures (70% of the hours) about the origin and development of Proto-Germanic and of the old Germanic languages and literatures, and a second part, consisting in training activities addressed to the translation and philological and linguistic analysis of a text written in an old Germanic language, with seminars, exercises and the active participation of the students (30% of the hours).
Assessment Methods
The assessment of learning includes an oral interview in Italian. The object of the interview will be all the topics illustrated during the course and included in the program. It aims to assess not only the knowledge of the fundamental notions of Germanic philology and linguistics, but also to ascertain the ability to apply contents and methodologies learned during the course to solve simple problems. Therefore in the examination exercises will be proposed aimed at assessing this ability, such as identifying phonetic and morphological phenomena or the effects of a linguistic change starting from an inscription or a short passage; the comparative analysis of a series of examples in various Germanic languages; philological and linguistic analysis of the text in Old English included in the program. Special attention will be paid to students’ ability to create links between linguistic and cultural phenomena, to orient themselves with confidence within the topics of the discipline, and to their capacity to express themselves clearly, using the appropriate terminology correctly. The evaluation is expressed by a grading system ranging from 18/30 (pass - sufficient knowledge of the fundamentals of the subject and basic ability to highlight connections, basic use of technical vocabulary, good use of the Italian language) to 30/30 (excellent knowledge and understanding of the subject and very good ability to highlight connections, correct use of relevant technical vocabulary and excellent ability to express themselves effectively in Italian).
Texts
REFERENCE TEXTS:
1. M.V. MOLINARI, La filologia germanica, 2.ed., Zanichelli 1987;
2. Old English text: “The Battle of Brunanburh”, in Richard Marsden, The Cambridge Old English Reader, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2004, pp. 86-91); book available at SIBA and at archive.org;
3. A. ZIRONI, Filologia germanica. Lingua, storia, cultura, testi, Firenze: Le Monnier Università, 2022: chapt. 5, Tipologie testuali, pp. 210-281.
4. Classroom notes (slides) and other didactic material: web page prof. Micillo https://unifind.unior.it/ (useful resources);
5. Non attending students: Please add: V. DOLCETTI CORAZZA, Introduzione alla filologia germanica, Giappichelli 1987, 2.ed., chapts. 4-5 (pp. 73-156); or the new ed., Ediz.dell’Orso 2009 (pp. 49-110);
6. Other programs (e.g. Erasmus): e-mail vmicillo@unior.it
7. Resources and tools for reading, translating, and analysing the OE text:
8. - Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online, http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/;
9. - Glossary, in Richard Marsden, The Cambridge Old English Reader, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2004, pp. 396-516; book available at SIBA and at archive.org;
10. -Reference Grammar, in S. Moore, Th.A. Knott, The Elements of Old English, George Wahr Publ., Ann Arbor (MI) 1919 (archive.org), 10th ed. 1955 here: https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~kroch/courses/lx411/MK-reference-grammar.pdf
11. -R.D. Fulk, An Introductory Grammar of Old English, ACMRS, Tempe (AR) 2014, online 2020, here: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/25547/Fulk_Print4.pdf?sequence=3
12. -Other useful resources will be presented during the course.
13. 8. Please check the updated program at the end of the course (https://unifind.unior.it/).
1. M.V. MOLINARI, La filologia germanica, 2.ed., Zanichelli 1987;
2. Old English text: “The Battle of Brunanburh”, in Richard Marsden, The Cambridge Old English Reader, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2004, pp. 86-91); book available at SIBA and at archive.org;
3. A. ZIRONI, Filologia germanica. Lingua, storia, cultura, testi, Firenze: Le Monnier Università, 2022: chapt. 5, Tipologie testuali, pp. 210-281.
4. Classroom notes (slides) and other didactic material: web page prof. Micillo https://unifind.unior.it/ (useful resources);
5. Non attending students: Please add: V. DOLCETTI CORAZZA, Introduzione alla filologia germanica, Giappichelli 1987, 2.ed., chapts. 4-5 (pp. 73-156); or the new ed., Ediz.dell’Orso 2009 (pp. 49-110);
6. Other programs (e.g. Erasmus): e-mail vmicillo@unior.it
7. Resources and tools for reading, translating, and analysing the OE text:
8. - Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online, http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/;
9. - Glossary, in Richard Marsden, The Cambridge Old English Reader, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2004, pp. 396-516; book available at SIBA and at archive.org;
10. -Reference Grammar, in S. Moore, Th.A. Knott, The Elements of Old English, George Wahr Publ., Ann Arbor (MI) 1919 (archive.org), 10th ed. 1955 here: https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~kroch/courses/lx411/MK-reference-grammar.pdf
11. -R.D. Fulk, An Introductory Grammar of Old English, ACMRS, Tempe (AR) 2014, online 2020, here: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/25547/Fulk_Print4.pdf?sequence=3
12. -Other useful resources will be presented during the course.
13. 8. Please check the updated program at the end of the course (https://unifind.unior.it/).
Contents
TOPICS:
1 Germanic philology and Germanic cultural unity;
2 Runes and first written records of the Germanic peoples;
3 Proto-Germanic: reconstruction;
4 First and Second Consonant Shifts and Verner's Law;
5 Mutation, Breaking and other phonetic phenomena of the Germanic languages;
6 Strong and weak verbs; praeterito-praesentia;
7 Nouns and adjectives;
8 Isoglosses;
9 Historical, linguistic and literary overview of the Germanic languages;
10 Orality and literacy;
11 Contact among languages: translation;
12 Germanic poetic tradition: verse, style;
13 Prose texts;
14 Translation, analysis and commentary of passages from the Old English poem “The Battle of Brunanburh”
1 Germanic philology and Germanic cultural unity;
2 Runes and first written records of the Germanic peoples;
3 Proto-Germanic: reconstruction;
4 First and Second Consonant Shifts and Verner's Law;
5 Mutation, Breaking and other phonetic phenomena of the Germanic languages;
6 Strong and weak verbs; praeterito-praesentia;
7 Nouns and adjectives;
8 Isoglosses;
9 Historical, linguistic and literary overview of the Germanic languages;
10 Orality and literacy;
11 Contact among languages: translation;
12 Germanic poetic tradition: verse, style;
13 Prose texts;
14 Translation, analysis and commentary of passages from the Old English poem “The Battle of Brunanburh”
Course Language
Italian
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Degrees
Degrees
Comparative Languages and Cultures
Bachelor's Degree
3 years
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Main module
Germanic Philology