Introduction to Old Germand and Old Spanish

Indo-European Language Groups

by Cyril Babaev

Linguistic Introductions

Dr Babaev has constructed a multi-layered, easily navigable site on the linguistic development of the Indo-European languages, complete with pronunciation guides, maps, and chronologies. His site, in combination with Dr Marchand's lessons and specific linguistic links found on the various national pages of the ORB, offer an excellent introduction to the history of languages.

Dr. James Marchand's Linguistic Lessons

Languages a Medievalist Needs to Know

You are Franciscus Junius, getting long in tooth and claw, but about as good as there is in the Frankish (which is what you call Germanic) business. You have read a few things about a language called Gothic from the hands of some Dutch scholars (after all, you are Dutch yourself) of the latter half of the 16th, but it is now mid-17th. One day, your relative, the sly Isaac Vossius, former librarian for Queen Christina of Sweden, who has now abdicated, brings to you an old manuscript, written in gold and silver on purple parchment in an unknown language which Melanchthon once saw: "It's Greek," he muttered darkly. But you see that it is likely to be Gothic and begin to search some place you can grab onto. You can see that it begins with Matthew and must be a new testament, though you have never seen a layout quite like this one. Paging through (it obviously is fragmentary and seems to begin in the middle of Matthew 5, you come to the Lord's Prayer and Matthew 6, known territory, so you begin to read, highlighting now and again and putting in a few marginal notes to help you (after all, it is your manuscript; at least it's in the family.

And so it began...
with a series of Gothic lessons, offered by Prof. James Marchand to the Mediev-l list during February 2003 for the edification and entertainment of the list members. It consisted of 10 lessons based upon the Codex Argenteus with commentary by Dr. Marchand. (Within the lessons, Dr. Marchand's commentary on the text appears in black, his asides to the audience appear in blue, the historical text and vocabulary appear in green, and comparative vocabulary from other languages appears in purple.)

Gothic Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5
Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10

Old High German Lessons [Franconian]

Lesson 1     Lesson 2     Lesson 3     Lesson 4     Lesson 5
Lesson 6      Lesson 7    Lesson 8    Lesson 9         Lesson 10
Lesson 11     Lesson 12 Lesson 13   Lesson 14    Lesson 15

Old Spanish Lessons

   Lesson 1    Lesson 2    Lesson 3    Lesson 4    Lesson 5
   Lesson 6    Lesson 7    Lesson 8    Lesson 9    Lesson 10
   Lesson 11    Lesson 12    Lesson 13    Lesson 14    Lesson 15