Germanic Philology
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course aims at introducing the historical-comparative study of the Old Germanic languages and the cultural and textual production of the Germanic peoples. Special attention is given to the concept of source and textual reconstruction and to the lexicon's phonological, morphological, and etymological evolution phenomena, from Indo-European and Germanic to the forms attested in the various Germanic languages.
Expected learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Knowledge of the fundamental questions about the linguistic, textual, and historical-cultural shaping of the ancient Germanic world, analysed from a comparative perspective; knowledge of the linguistic phenomena that led to the birth and development of the Old Germanic languages, especially from a phonological, morphological, and etymological point of view.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Ability to read, translate, and analyse texts written in the main Old Germanic languages from a grammatical and semantic perspective and within their historical and cultural contexts.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Ability to read, translate, and analyse texts written in the main Old Germanic languages from a grammatical and semantic perspective and within their historical and cultural contexts.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is entitled "The Germanic proverbial tradition" and consists of the following three parts:
A) Introduction to Germanic culture;
B) Historical-comparative linguistics of the ancient Germanic languages;
C) "The Germanic proverbial tradition".
Part A examines the history and culture of the ancient Germanic peoples, including people-to-people contacts, paganism, Christianization, and the resulting spread of a book culture in central and northern Europe, from late antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages.
Part B examines in detail the phonological and morphological phenomena that led to the emergence of the Germanic languages and to the differentiation between them.
Part C deals with paremiology and focuses on the translations of the "Disticha Catonis" into the Germanic vernaculars: specifically, in the German-speaking area, the "Deutscher Cato" and Sebastian Brant's translation; in the Anglo-Saxon area, the "Old English Dicts of Cato"; and in the Nordic area, the poem "Hugsvinnsmál". Other works centred on proverbs are also examined: in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the "Durham Proverbs" and the poems "Maxims I and II"; and in the Norse tradition, the Eddic poem "Hávamál". Selected passages from these works are read and translated, with both their paremiological and linguistic aspects examined in depth; in particular, various key words from the Germanic tradition, compared across the three linguistic areas, are analysed from a phonological, morphological and etymological perspective.
The course programme is valid until February 2028. Starting from the Summer session of 2027, it will be possible to apply for the exam exclusively on the programme of the academic year 2027-2028.
For the students of the Foreign Languages Course of Studies, the course provides 9 ECTS. It is not possible to acquire only 6 ECTS. Students of other study programmes who intend to acquire 6/9 ECTS have to agree to the programme in due time with the professor.
A) Introduction to Germanic culture;
B) Historical-comparative linguistics of the ancient Germanic languages;
C) "The Germanic proverbial tradition".
Part A examines the history and culture of the ancient Germanic peoples, including people-to-people contacts, paganism, Christianization, and the resulting spread of a book culture in central and northern Europe, from late antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages.
Part B examines in detail the phonological and morphological phenomena that led to the emergence of the Germanic languages and to the differentiation between them.
Part C deals with paremiology and focuses on the translations of the "Disticha Catonis" into the Germanic vernaculars: specifically, in the German-speaking area, the "Deutscher Cato" and Sebastian Brant's translation; in the Anglo-Saxon area, the "Old English Dicts of Cato"; and in the Nordic area, the poem "Hugsvinnsmál". Other works centred on proverbs are also examined: in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the "Durham Proverbs" and the poems "Maxims I and II"; and in the Norse tradition, the Eddic poem "Hávamál". Selected passages from these works are read and translated, with both their paremiological and linguistic aspects examined in depth; in particular, various key words from the Germanic tradition, compared across the three linguistic areas, are analysed from a phonological, morphological and etymological perspective.
The course programme is valid until February 2028. Starting from the Summer session of 2027, it will be possible to apply for the exam exclusively on the programme of the academic year 2027-2028.
For the students of the Foreign Languages Course of Studies, the course provides 9 ECTS. It is not possible to acquire only 6 ECTS. Students of other study programmes who intend to acquire 6/9 ECTS have to agree to the programme in due time with the professor.
Prerequisites for admission
The course, which is taught entirely in Italian, the materials, and the examination bibliography all require good technical linguistic skills. For this reason, to take the exam in German Philology, students on the Foreign languages programme must have already taken and passed the Glottology examination. For students on other study courses, any Linguistics examination in their programme is valid, but they must inform the professor well in advance to prepare the examination.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: frontal lessons, classroom exercises, reading, and linguistic-philological commentary of passages from the texts in the programme.
Teaching Resources
The course has a website on the online teaching platform MyAriel (https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=12272), to which reference should be made for lesson notes and other materials provided by the professor.
The following are the mandatory readings for the three parts of the course:
Part A:
- Booklet "Parte A - Introduzione storico-culturale 2026-2027" (available in MyAriel);
- Raymond Ian PAGE, "Miti scandinavi", Mondadori 1995 (available in libraries);
- TACITO, "La Germania" (an edition of your choice in Italian translation).
Part B:
- Booklet "Parte B - linguistica storico-comparativa 2026-2027" (available in MyAriel).
- Lesson notes complementing the booklet.
Part C:
- Lesson notes (they will be gathered in a booklet, available in MyAriel at the end of the course);
- Anthology of the texts (available in MyAriel).
- André Jolles, "Forme semplici : leggenda sacra e profana, mito, enigma, sentenza, caso, memorabile, fiaba, scherzo", Milano: Mursia 1980 (available in libraries).
The examination programme for non-attending students:
The programme for non-attending students is identical to the programme for attending students. Students unable to attend are invited to contact the professor in good time for exam preparation.
The following are the mandatory readings for the three parts of the course:
Part A:
- Booklet "Parte A - Introduzione storico-culturale 2026-2027" (available in MyAriel);
- Raymond Ian PAGE, "Miti scandinavi", Mondadori 1995 (available in libraries);
- TACITO, "La Germania" (an edition of your choice in Italian translation).
Part B:
- Booklet "Parte B - linguistica storico-comparativa 2026-2027" (available in MyAriel).
- Lesson notes complementing the booklet.
Part C:
- Lesson notes (they will be gathered in a booklet, available in MyAriel at the end of the course);
- Anthology of the texts (available in MyAriel).
- André Jolles, "Forme semplici : leggenda sacra e profana, mito, enigma, sentenza, caso, memorabile, fiaba, scherzo", Milano: Mursia 1980 (available in libraries).
The examination programme for non-attending students:
The programme for non-attending students is identical to the programme for attending students. Students unable to attend are invited to contact the professor in good time for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam is held in Italian; it consists of an individual interview, which includes questions posed by the professor and interactions between professor and student: the interview begins with questions on part A and continues with the discussion on part C, during which the student must be able to analyse the texts in the programme both from the historical-cultural and linguistic point of view, applying the phenomena studied in part B.
During the exam, you will be tested:
-level of knowledge and understanding of the topics of parts A and C;
-level of autonomy in recognising and analysing the linguistic phenomena studied in parts B and C;
-adequacy of language in expressing and applying the knowledge and competences acquired in the three parts.
The final grade is expressed out of thirty, and the student has the right to refuse it (in which case it will be recorded as "withdrawn").
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the teacher as soon as possible. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with LD must be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the competent office.
During the exam, you will be tested:
-level of knowledge and understanding of the topics of parts A and C;
-level of autonomy in recognising and analysing the linguistic phenomena studied in parts B and C;
-adequacy of language in expressing and applying the knowledge and competences acquired in the three parts.
The final grade is expressed out of thirty, and the student has the right to refuse it (in which case it will be recorded as "withdrawn").
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the teacher as soon as possible. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with LD must be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the competent office.
Modules or teaching units
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/15 - GERMANIC PHILOLOGY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Di Venosa Elena Angela
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/15 - GERMANIC PHILOLOGY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Di Venosa Elena Angela
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/15 - GERMANIC PHILOLOGY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Di Venosa Elena Angela
Professor(s)
Reception:
By appointment always; during the semester outside the classroom at the end of class.
Germanistica (floor -1, stairs in front of A4)