New to the List, Learning Gothic

[llama_nom]

> > [...] "beit" is just 
> > a word root, it never occurs independently (i.e.
> > without any ending) 
> > in Gothic.

Excellent answer from Francisc.  I would just point out that 'beit' 
on its own could be used; it would be the imperative singular.  That 
means the form of the verb used in commands or instructions or 
requests directed at one person; if you want to tell someone to 
bite, you would say "Beit!".


The way words change their form depending on what role they're 
playing in the sentence is called "inflection".  So it might help to 
look this up in encyclopedias, Google, etc.  It's much easier to 
find material teaching Latin, Greek, Russian, etc., but the 
underlying principles of inflection in these languages are the same 
as in Gothic.  Icelandic is the modern Germanic language that best 
preserves the old grammar.  You might also find helpful the 
following online introductions to Old Norse and Old English:

http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/research/rawl/IOE/

It's hard learning starting to learn a new language when you've 
never tried before, and Gothic has all sorts of extra difficulties 
for the beginner.  It's only recorded in a few fragments and parts 
of a bible translation from Greek.  The translator(s) tried to be as 
literal as they could and to match Greek word order as far as 
possible.  It's possible to get a fairly complete idea of the 
inflectional system, but the syntax is not so easy to be sure of.  
There isn't a great deal of material available for understanding 
Gothic, and so there will always be big gaps in our understanding of 
it.  What evidence there is needs to be carefully considered to work 
out to what extent it reflects actual Gothic usage, and to what 
extent it is an imitation of the Greek original.  Don't let me put 
you off though, it's also great fun!


David Salo's lessons use made-up examples which will reflect his 
understanding of Gothic at the time he wrote them, some years ago.  
One recurring criticism concerns DEFINITE ARTICLES.  What these 
lessons treat as "the definite article" is not really used in quite 
the same way in Gothic.

sa, þai, etc. were used much less than "the" in English.  With an
unqualified noun they are perhaps more likely to mean "that" 
or "this" (demonstrative pronouns), e.g. 'sa wulfs' "that wolf" 
or "this wolf", either a wolf already mentioned or "this particular 
wolf [as opposed to some other wolf]".  Even where they are 
translated "the", the usage may differ:

jah ufkunnaith sunja, jah SO sunja frijans izwis briggith.
"and you shall know THE truth, and THE truth shall make you free"

Here, John 8,32, the definite article is only used to recap on 
something already mentioned, whereas English and Greek have the 
definite article both times.  (The form 'so' is used because 'sunja' 
is a feminine noun.)


With adjectives or other qualifiers, the article/demonstrative is 
often used with a meaning more like "the": sa auhumista gudja "the 
chief priest".  Also where an adjective is used substantively: 'sa 
frumista' "the first [one]".


Even with adjectives though, the "definite article" is often not 
expressed.  One famous example is John 10,11:

ik im hairdeis gods. hairdeis SA goda saiwala seina lagjith faur 
lamba.

"I am THE good shepherd.  THE good shepherd lays down his life for 
THE sheep."

As in the truth example, only the second "the" is actually expressed 
in the Gothic.


When you feel ready for the real thing, have a look at this: [ 
http://www.wulfila.be/gothic/browse/ ].


Re. 'jive', you'd probably use -b- in place of English -v- in the 
middle of a word.  Compare: Got. dreiban "to drive" (in the sense of 
forcing someone to go (out/away)).  Of course, 'jive' isn't actually 
an ancient Germanic word...  When Salome dances for King Herod's 
birthday, the verb used is 'plinsjan', a Slavonic loanword.

Llama Nom





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