Universität - Fachbereich Sprach-, Literatur- und Medienwissenschaft
Indo-Germanic Philology
What is Indo-Germanic Philology?
Indo-Germanic Philology is concerned with the linguistic relationships between Indo-Germanic (Indo-European) languages. The origins of the academic discipline lie in the 18th Century when scholars discovered that languages change over time and can thus develop independently. They established that many European, and a number of Asian, languages are related to one another with a common origin many thousands of years in the past. These languages include the following groups:
- Latin, and the Romanic languages,
- Celtic,
- Germanic,
- Baltic,
- Slavic,
- Greek,
- Albanian,
- Armenien
- Indo-Iranian
Also related are long extinct language groups which were only rediscovered this century:
Finally, a number of fragmentary language remnants, primarily from the Mediterranean area, can also be included.
At the heart of Indo-Germanic Philology is the hypothetical model of the original Indo-Germanic Language which is constantly checked against the available linguistic material. The existence of such an original language and the ability to model it hypothetically are important for linguistics since they allow scholars to develop a historical perspective on the evolution of grammar and vocabulary that transcends spoken or written language. The basis of the reconstruction work are obviously not the modern, but the oldest form of the languages and language groups in question. This means that Indo-Germanic Philology has a very wide and varied field of interest as the linguistic material at hand differs significantly in age, form and historical context.
The Course in Indo-Germanic Philology
The course provides students with an introduction to the basic concepts and methods involved in historical linguistic research and to the main structural characteristics of the Indo-European language family, together with an overview of the Indo-European language area.
Those majoring in the subject familiarise themselves with a number of old Indo-European languages, primarily Ancient Greek and Sanskrit, both of which play a significant role in Indo-Germanic Philology. Students without prior knowledge of Ancient Greek can follow introductory courses at the University. We have working arrangements with other philological disciplines which allow our students to learn other old Indo-European languages as required.
Why do people study Indo-Germanic Philology?
Beyond purely academic interest, a subject like Indo-Germanic Philology naturally has little practical use and students are motivated more by scholarly concerns. However, the insights it produces are of considerable interest for linguistics and philology in the areas of both linguistic history and of the study of old languages and texts.
Indo-Germanic Philology at Hamburg
Hamburg is one of the few Universities where Indo-Germanic Philology is taught. However, the subject only has one professorship. Close cooperation with colleagues from other departments allows us to expand the range of teaching to encompass as many aspects as possible. Correspondingly, Indo-Germanic Philology also plays an important inter-disciplinary role in the teaching given by other departments. Particular attention is paid to researching the Celtic languages.
Length Of Study
Normally 9-10 Semesters
Qualification
M.A. (as major or minor subject)
Conditions
Applicants require a High School leaving certificate that qualifies them for University entry. Application forms are obtainable 8 weeks before the application deadline for the Winter or Summer Semesters (15th July/15th January) from the University Admissions Office (Studentensekretariat, Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, D-20146 Hamburg).
Letzte Änderung: 28. April 1998
Übersetzung und HTML von John King
Impressum
Universität - Fachbereich Sprach-, Literatur- und Medienwissenschaft
