Module CLAS3121: HISTORY OF THE GREEK & LATIN LANGUAGES

Department: CLASSICS AND ANCIENT HISTORY

CLAS3121: HISTORY OF THE GREEK & LATIN LANGUAGES

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2005/06	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

• Advanced Latin 2 (Augustan Period) (CLAS2042), AND Intermediate Greek 2A (CLAS2541).

Corequisites

• For students in the Classics Department, please refer to the Regulations for your degree programme. For students from other Departments, there are no corequisites.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide an introduction to Comparative Indo-European Philology through the medium of Greek and Latin, and to acquaint students with the workings of other Indo-European languages, especially Sanskrit.

Content

• The main task is to trace the phonological and morphological development of Greek and Latin from Indo-European; there is also some study of dialectal forms of Greek, and early or dialectal forms of Latin.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the phonology and morphology of Greek and Latin; of their relationship to Indo-European and to other daughter languages, especially Sanskrit; and of some dialect forms of Greek and some early forms of Latin, both studied through inscriptions.

• Ability to analyse forms, both regular and uncommon, of Greek and Latin words; to relate them to cognates in the same language and in other languages; and to read texts in which unusual forms occur.

• General understanding of language and of the changes which languages undergo, with direct relevance to the operation of English; ability to handle and evaluate a wide range of different types of (sometimes conflicting) evidence, and to reach the most plausible conclusion.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will provide information on the phonology and morphology of Greek and Latin, and on the linguistic content of the inscriptions studied.
• Formative essays will enable students to investigate more general aspects of philology or linguistics.
• The examination will test students' knowledge and understanding of the material covered in lectures, and will also allow them to demonstrate their understanding of broader linguistic issues.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Seminars	44	2 Per Week	1 Hour	44
Preparation and Reading				156
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Examination 100% (three-hour written examination 100%).

Formative Assessment:

2 essays of 1500-2000 words each, one in Michaelmas Term and one in Epiphany Term.

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■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University