"This course aims to use the life and works of Tolkien as a gateway to provide an introduction to the discipline of comparative philology, and to highlight the many links between this field and his creative writings. The course will offer an introductory (and necessarily selective) overview of several of the old Germanic languages and their literatures, such as Gothic, Old and Middle English, and Old Norse, and cover select topics in Germanic comparative grammar (e.g. Grimm’s Law). Attention will also be given to other related matters, such as Celtic philology and Tolkien’s invented languages. Students are not expected to have prior familiarity with any language other than modern English. Coursework involves readings, philological exercises, and study of short, glossed excerpts from ancient texts. The overall aim is to provide a basic familiarity with the methods and subject matter of philology and to make the ancient languages and texts that provide the field’s raw data appear less unfamiliar, as well as to examine the strong influence of philology on Tolkien’s works."
Course Schedule Week 1 (August 26 – 30): Comparative Philology and Grimm’s Law
Week 2 (September 2 – 6): The Goths and Gothic
Week 3 (September 9 – 13): Old Norse: Names and Riddles
Week 4 (September 16 – 20): Old English: Words and Culture
Week 5 (September 23 – 27): Old English: Poetry and Verse
Week 6 (September 30 – October 4): Early Britain: Language and History
Week 7 (October 7 – 11): The Development of the Celtic Languages
Week 8 (October 14 – 18): Roots: Common Eldarin and Proto-Indo-European
Week 9 (October 21 – 25): English After 1066
Week 10 (October 28 – November 1): AB Language: Layamon and Sir Gawain
Week 11 (November 4 – 8): Dialects and Non-Indo-European Philology
The course is over, though you can still purchase the lectures packaged to download/watch. Those however don't come with the reading materials, 'homework,' etc. I'm not sure what Mythgard's position on those are (since as students we paid for them in our tuition), and whether they would be averse to (or fine with) someone providing those materials to someone who purchases the lectures. Perhaps I'll ask Nelson.
Tamas Ferencz Aug 21, 2013 (06:38)
Matt Dinse Aug 21, 2013 (20:33)
Matt Dinse Aug 21, 2013 (20:35)
Students are not expected to have prior familiarity with any language other than modern English. Coursework involves readings, philological exercises, and study of short, glossed excerpts from ancient texts. The overall aim is to provide a basic familiarity with the methods and subject matter of philology and to make the ancient languages and texts that provide the field’s raw data appear less unfamiliar, as well as to examine the strong influence of philology on Tolkien’s works."
Course Schedule
Week 1 (August 26 – 30):
Comparative Philology and Grimm’s Law
Week 2 (September 2 – 6):
The Goths and Gothic
Week 3 (September 9 – 13):
Old Norse: Names and Riddles
Week 4 (September 16 – 20):
Old English: Words and Culture
Week 5 (September 23 – 27):
Old English: Poetry and Verse
Week 6 (September 30 – October 4):
Early Britain: Language and History
Week 7 (October 7 – 11):
The Development of the Celtic Languages
Week 8 (October 14 – 18):
Roots: Common Eldarin and Proto-Indo-European
Week 9 (October 21 – 25):
English After 1066
Week 10 (October 28 – November 1):
AB Language: Layamon and Sir Gawain
Week 11 (November 4 – 8):
Dialects and Non-Indo-European Philology
Week 12 (November 11 – 15):
Lit and Lang
Kirk M Sep 24, 2013 (04:38)
G. Hussain Chinoy Jul 06, 2014 (17:47)
Matt Dinse Jul 07, 2014 (00:35)
I'm not sure what Mythgard's position on those are (since as students we paid for them in our tuition), and whether they would be averse to (or fine with) someone providing those materials to someone who purchases the lectures. Perhaps I'll ask Nelson.
G. Hussain Chinoy Jul 07, 2014 (00:54)