Department of German
UW-Madison
College of Letters & Science

650: History of the German Language, 3 cr.

Howell, MWF 11:00

Prerequisites:  Knowledge of German

This course is designed to introduce students to the field of historical Germanic linguistics. It examines the Indo-European origin and the subsequent development of the German language in changing cultural and social settings. We examine the origin of standard varieties of German at different periods as well as their relationship to non-standard or regional varieties. In addition, the course provides an introduction to historical linguistics and to various areas of scholarly activities in the fieldm, as well as familiarizing students with basic research methods and bibliographical resources.  No prior background in linguistics is assumed.