LING 220 A: Origins of the Germanic Languages

GERMAN 220 A / LING 220A                                                                    Dr. Annegret Oehme, oehme@uw.edu

Winter 2025                                                                                                    

TueTh 10:00am - 11:20am / DEN 212                                                   

Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-3pm, Thursdays 1-2pm

Sign-up: https://oehme-2.youcanbook.me

German and Its Closest Relatives: The Origins of the Germanic Languages

Course Description
The legend goes that only one vote prevented German from becoming the official language of the colonies that predated the USA. Despite being opponents in this case, German and English share common features and a linguistic genealogy. This class introduces the origins of these two languages and their closest relatives with a special focus on the sociolinguistic context. Over the course of the quarter, you will familiarize yourself with Old High German, Old English, Gothic, Old Norse, Old Saxon, and Old Low Franconian regarding their linguistic features, the people who spoke them, and the literature they produced. You will acquire an understanding of the origins of these Germanic languages, starting with Proto-Indo-European. In addition, over the course of the quarter, you will gain familiarity with patterns of language and language changes and will be able to reconstruct the relationship between some modern languages, such as English and German. As part of your projects, you will bring diverse historic voices into dialogue within the framework of digital media and create an online exhibition about objects of significance for the history of these Germanic languages.

Learning Goals

By the end of the quarter, you will have encountered six predecessors of contemporary Germanic languages and, in the process, will have gained a better understanding of their interconnectedness and language change. You will have explored these languages regarding their morphology and speakers. These overall objectives encompass many particular goals as well. You will have developed a better understanding of language change and written language systems. As a result of this class, you should be able to understand similarities in modern Germanic languages, such as English and German, better, work in teams, and apply questions of language change to a variety of cultural contexts by translating your knowledge through group work and individual research.

Readings available at UW bookstore:

Robinson, Orrin W. Old English and Its Closest Relatives: A Survey of the Earliest Germanic Languages. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford UP, 1992.

All other required readings are available on Canvas.

Requirements and Grading

In addition to reading and preparing all material for each module, each student is expected to:

• participate in class discussions and activities on Canvas
• complete all of the assignments described below

Your course grade will be calculated in the following way:

• Canvas assignments (Quizzes, discussions, collaborative readings): 30%
• Projects
  • Adopted Language Project: 20%
  • Curated Exhibition: 30%
  • Ulfila / Otfried Project: 20%

Participation and Virtual Classroom Environment

The success of this class depends on your shared thoughts and questions. Don’t be shy and share your insights with all – this classroom serves as a space to discuss and learn together. To ensure success and provide a safe environment for everybody, all discussions are expected to be conducted in a respectful manner and in professional behavior. Diverse experiences and perspectives have an important place in our classroom. I intend to present material in a respectful way regarding gender, sexuality, disability, socioeconomic status, age, culture, ethnicity, race, and disability. Let’s create a welcoming and respectful learning environment together. By participating in this class, you commit to establishing this virtual classroom as a safe environment for everybody. No discriminatory or disrespectful behavior will be tolerated. 

Disability Accommodations

UW is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for all students. If you have documented physical, psychological, or learning disabilities on file with UW, you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. If you have a documented disability that requires accommodation, please notify me within the first two weeks of the quarter so that I may make appropriate arrangements early in the semester. (Additionally, if you have not done so, please register with DRS http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs).

Religious Accommodation

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Communication and Office Hours

• Communication that is class-related should happen via the Canvas conversation tool (use the link on the side on your Canvas link called “Inbox”). I will try to respond to your messages within 24 hours of receipt during the week. If you email me on Friday afternoon, I may not be able to respond until Monday.
• I will communicate with you via Canvas and Email. Please set your notifications on your account accordingly to get notified about important messages!
• Set up an office hour meeting with Prof. Oehme with the reason for your through: https://oehme-2.youcanbook.me

Project Assignments

• Adopted Language Presentation: In a small group, students will explore one modern language that developed out of one of the six historic languages explored in the course. This project will help the individual students and the whole class to understand the connections to contemporary languages better. The presentations will take place over the course of the class.
• Social Media debate: Working in their assigned team, students will create an imaginary interaction between Ufila and Otfried of Weissenburg within the framework of a social media platform of their choice. This project will help students to comprehend the consequences and choices of textualization of formerly oral vernacular languages.
• Curate Exhibition: As a final project, the teams will conceptualize an exhibit for a linguistic museum. This project will help to rethink the relevance of studying historic stages of languages for a modern audience.

Academic Integrity and AI

In a case of plagiarism or cheating, I will report the case and follow UW’s procedures. 

For this course, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including text generators, chatbots, or image creation software, is prohibited unless explicitly prompted. All submitted work must be entirely your own, and any attempt to use AI to complete assignments will be regarded as a violation of academic integrity.

Schedule

1. Week: January 7^th / January 9^th

Tuesday: Introduction

Thursday: Modern and Premodern Language Conceptions (online, asynchronous)

Read: Young, “That which is casually called a language” (Canvas)

Signup for Adopted Language (Due Sun. 11:59 pm)

2. Week: January 14^th / January 16^th

Tuesday: Proto-Indo-European

Read: Watermann, “Indo European” (Canvas)

Thursday: From PIE to Germanic Languages

Read: Watermann, “The 19th Century” (Canvas)

Read collaboratively: Grimm DWB preface (online)

3. Week: January 21^st / January 23^rd

Tuesday: Proto-Germanic

Read: Robinson, 1-42

Thursday: Germanic Tribes

Read: Sanders, “The Germanic Languages Survive the Romans” (Canvas)

Read collaboratively (!): Tacitus (Canvas)

Quiz (Due Sunday. 11:59 pm)

4. Week: January 28^th / January 30^th

Tuesday: Gothic

Read: Robinson, 43-68          

Thursday: Ulfila’s Gothic

Read: Sivan, “The Making of an Arian Goth”

5. Week: February 4^th/ February 6^th

Tuesday: Old High German

Read: Robinson, 222-246

Thursday: Otfried’s Old High German

Read: Otfried of Weissenburg, “Introduction.”

Young, “Otfried von Weissenburg”

(Presentations: German)

Quiz (Due Sunday. 11:59 pm)

6. Week: February 11^th/ February 13^th

Tuesday: Old Norse

Read: Robinson, 67-99

(Presentations: Norwegian, Danish)

Thursday: Vikings (Asynchronous on Canvas, no in-person meeting)

Canvas exercises (due Fri. 11:59pm)

7. Week: February 18^th/ February 20^th

Tuesday: Ulfila and Otfried Project Presentations

Read: Tal Goldfajn, “Planet Word.” (Canvas)

Thursday: Old Saxon

Read: Robinson, 100-135; and Heliand introduction (Canvas)

Quiz (Due Sunday. 11:59 pm)

8. Week: February 25^th/ February 27^th

Tuesday: Old Frisian

Robinson, 176-198

(Presentations [Old Norse languages cont.]: Swedish, Icelandic, Faroese)

Thursday: Old Low Franconian

Read: Robinson, 176-198

(Presentation: Afrikaans, Dutch)

9. Week: March 4^th/ March 6^th

Tuesday: Special Case Yiddish

Read: “Yiddish biography” (Canvas)

Thursday: Old English (online, asynchronous)

Read: Robinson, 136-175, and “Alfred the Great” (Canvas)

Quiz (due Fr. 11:59 pm)

10.  Week: March 11^th/ March 13^th

Tuesday: The End and Future of Old English (online, asynchronous)

Read: Crystal, David. “The End of Old English?”

Thursday: Museum Project Presentations