The Origins of the Classical Languages
Code: 104220 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2503702 Ancient Studies | OT | 4 | 2 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 3 | 2 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 4 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Agustí Alemany Vilamajo
- Email:
- agusti.alemany@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
This is a logical continuation of the subject 104216 Indo-European Languages and Peoples (compulsory for the Degree in Sciences of Antiquity),
and, consequently, it is recommended to have previously attended it.
It is advisable, but not essential, that students have a certain level of English and French, which allows them to access the bibliography in these languages.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This subject is a continuation of the compulsory second year subject 104216 Indo-European Languages and Peoples, devoted basically to comparative phonology and a historical-cultural introduction to the Indo-European linguistic family.
Its contents aim to provide students with fundamental knowledge about the historical origins of the classical languages, combining the reading of some archaic monuments of Greek and Latin with a comparative approach to the nominal and verbal morphology of both languages from a diachronic point of view, taking also into account other languages of the Indo-European family, especially Sanskrit.
Competences
- Ancient Studies
- Be able to express oneself orally and in writing in the specific language of history, archaeology and philology, both in one's own languages and a third language.
- Interrelate linguistic, historical and archaeological knowledge of the ancient world with knowledge of other areas of the humanities, mainly ancient literature, philosophy and art.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- English and Classics Studies
- Describe and analyse synchronically and comparatively the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties of English, Greek and Latin, as well as their historical evolution.
- Identify the foundations of human language, the principles, methods and results of the structural analysis of languages.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing various types of linguistic data.
- Apply language reconstruction to the resolution of exercises on the phonetics and morphology of Indo-European languages.
- Compare Greek, Latin, and English with other Indo-European languages, especially Germanic languages.
- Compare linguistic features of Greek and Latin to draw conclusions about their common origins.
- Identify the main phonetic and morphological roots shared by Greek and Latin with the oldest form of English (Anglo-Saxon).
- Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
- Solving complex problems of linguistic analysis in any level with the appropriate tools.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
Content
I. Theoretical part
♦ Unit 1. Diachronic approach to Greek and Latin: from the historical languages to Proto-Greek and Italic.
♦ Unit 2. Notions of apophony and prehistory of the Indo-European phonological system.
♦ Unit 3. Comparative morphology of Greek and Latin (I): nouns and adjectives
♦ Unit 4. Comparative morphology of Greek and Latin (II): pronouns and numerals
♦ Unit 5. Comparative morphology of Greek and Latin (III): verbal system
II. Practical part
♦ Unit 1. Reading and analysis of archaic and dialectal monuments of the Greek language.
♦ Unit 2. Reading and analysis of archaic monuments of the Latin language and other Italic languages (esp. Oscan and Umbrian).
Methodology
The teaching methodology of this subject will consist in alternating the theoretical exposition of each of the aforementioned units with the readings of Archaic Greek and Italic monuments.
At the beginning of the course a dossier will be delivered with the theoretical and practical contents of the subject.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Development of subject contents | 37.5 | 1.5 | 4, 6 |
| Oral and written exercises | 15 | 0.6 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutoring in small groups | 4.5 | 0.18 | 4, 6 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Performing exercices | 35 | 1.4 | |
| Reading of bibliography | 35 | 1.4 | 4, 6 |
Assessment
It is important for the student to keep in mind that the assessment also includes regular class attendance
and the completion and presentation of the exercises and the various activities proposed.
A student who has submitted an activity that can be evaluated will not be able to give up being evaluated or choose to obtain a final grade of "Not Presented".
In the final Reassessment, the student will be able to recover the mark corresponding to the exam.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class attendance and participation | 10% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 7 |
| Theoretical Examination | 50% | 3 | 0.12 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 7 |
| Work | 40% | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 8, 7 |
Bibliography
Beekes, R.S.P. [1995] Comparative Indo-European Linguistics. An Introduction. Amsterdam–Filadelfia: John Benjamins Publ. Co.
Brugmann, K.–Delbrück, B. [1886-1916] Grundriß der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen i-v. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (reimp. 1967).
Buck, C.D. [1904] A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian, with a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary. Boston-New York-Chicago: Ginn and Company.
Buck, C.D. [19552] The Greek Dialects. Grammar. Selected Inscriptions. Glossary. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Humbert, J. [1972] Histoire de la langue grecque (Que sais-je? 1483). Paris: PUF.
Mallory, J.P.–Adams, D.Q. (eds.) [2006] The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press.
Meier-Brügger, M. [20028] Indogermanische Sprachwissenschaft. Berlin-New York: Walter de Gruyter (trad. ingl. [2003] Indo-European Linguistics. Berlin-New York: Walter de Gruyter).
Meillet, A. [19303] Aperçu d’une histoire de la langue grecque. Paris: Hachette.
Meillet, A. [19333] Esquisse d’une histoire de la langue latine. Paris: Hachette (Spanish trans. [1973] Historia de la lengua latina. Reus: Avesta).
Meillet, A. [19378] Introduction à l’étude comparative des langues indo-européennes. París: Hachette (reprint Alabama: University Press 1964).
Meillet, A.–Vendryes, J. [19684] Traité de grammaire comparée des langues classiques. Paris: Honoré Champion.
Pisani, V. [19744] Grammatica latina storica e comparativa. Torino: Rosenberg & Seller.
Ramat, A.G.–Ramat, P. (eds.) [1998] The Indo-European Languages. London-NY: Routledge (original Italian version [1993] Le lingue indoeuropee. Bologna: Società Editrice Il Mulino; Spanish trans. [1995] Las lenguas indoeuropeas. Madrid: Cátedra).
Rodríguez Adrados, F. [2005]. A History of the Greek Language. From its Origins to the Present. Leiden-Boston: Brill (original Spanish version [1999] Historia de la lengua griega. Madrid: Gredos).
Sihler, A.L. [1995] New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin. New York-Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Szemerényi, O. [19904] Einführung in die Vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (trad. ingl. [1996] Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics. Oxford: Clarendon Press; trad. castellana de 19701 [1978] Introducción a la lingüística comparativa. Madrid: Gredos).
Software
PDF, Power Point