[gothic-l] Gothic

[Bertil Häggman]

Keth,

Thank you for contributing some more information
on Lehmann.

In the introduction provides a fine overview pointing
out that the Germanic languages form a very small
subset of the between 4,000 to 6,000 languages
spoken inthe world. Of course the global use of English,
makes the Germanic group one of the most important
language groups.

"The modest beginnings of this evolution seem to be found
in the southern Baltic region (northern Germany, the Danish
Isles, southern Scandinavia) which according to accepted
opinion had been settled by speakers of Indo-European
around 1000 BC. They encountered speakers of non-Indo-
European origin, gradually changed their Proto-Indo-European
into Proto-Germanic, and dispersed beyond the original homeland
to occupy the region from the North Sea stretching to the 
River Vistula in Poland by 500 BC. The languages spoken during this
period is only attested indirectly, in the foreign words, usually
proper names, used by Greek and Latin authors, and in early
loans in neighbouring and co-territorial languages, especially
Finno-Ugric and Baltic. The earliest direct records are
Scandinavian runic inscriptions from the beginning of the
third century." 

What is your opinion on the Lehmann etymological work?

Concerning the study of the Goths I think a reasonable
starting point is the Middle Ages. In Spain for instance
there is an extensive corpus of studies of the Goths,
which I intend to return to.

Thank you for your interesting discussion concerning
the question if Paulus Diaconus knew of Jordanes
and _Getica_.

The way I understood the post, was that Winfred P. Lehmann, who
used to work at the University of Texas at Austin (correct?)
was born anno 1915. 

Prof. Lehmann is author of "A Gothic Etymological Dictionary".
(of which I have a copy).

The H is always a challenging letter. Many linguists have
wanted to abandon it as useless prompting others
to write in the defence of the letter H. Those having
a last name starting with H can attest to that. If you
like I would be very interested in discussing the correct
spelling of the name of the people Eruli, but privately,
of course.

Gothically

Bertil

>Ambrosiani, S _Odinskultens haerkomst_, Stockholm
>Arbman, H, _Zur Kenntnis der aeltesten Eisenzeit in Schweden_,
>Copenhagen 1934.
>Professor Sophus Bugge's works in Norway at the beginning
>of last century.
>Detlefsen, D., _Die Entdeckung des germanischen Nordens im
>Altertum, Berlin 1904-09.
>Eusebius/Loeb, _Ecclesiastical History_,1926
>Feist, _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der gotischen Sprache_, Halle 1923
>von Friesen O., ´"Har det nordiska kungadoemet sakralt ursprung",
>essay 1932, Uppsala
>Hald, _Danske Stednavn_, Copenhagen, from 1922
>Hoefler, O, _Kultische Geheimbuende der Germanen, Frankfurt/M, 1934
>Isidor von Sevilla/Th Mommsen, 1894
>Läffler, I F, "Om de östskandinaviska folknamnen hos Jordanes", Essay, 1894,
>Stockholm
>Hoops First Edition, 1915
>Nerman, B., _Die Herkunft und die fruehesten Auswanderung der Germanen_,
>Stockholm 1924
>Schmidt, L., _Geschichte der germanischen Fruehzeit_, 1925/34
>Svensson, J V, "De nordiska folkstammarna hos Jordanes_, Essay 1917,'
>Uppsala
>Vasiliev, _The Goths in Crimea_, Cambridge, MA, 1936
>Wessén, E., _De nordiska folkstammarna hos Beowulf_, Stockholm, 1927
>Wrede, F., _Ueber die sprache der Ostgoten in Italien_, Strassburg 1891
>
>Not only is the claim that everything was done in the 1940s. Now also
>Professor Omeljan Pritsak (1989) is outdated.
>
>The conclusion seems to be: All research on the Goths was made in the 1940s.
>It is outdated but also all material until 1989 is outdated (unless only
>Pritsak
>is outdated, but other material is not ). Everything written from 1900s to the
>1930s cannot in my view be discarded. Also 19th century literature has a
>value today.

Interesting question was raised on the research concerning the Goths.
When did it begin?

Or let us phrase it differently: When did one begin to take an
interest in Jordanes Getica? Was, for example, Adam of Bremen
familiar with it? Or was Saxo grammaticus? Or was Snorri Sturluson?

Let us begin with the earliest (I know of), which is Paulus
Diaconus.  So the question has been raised: "Did Paulus know
about the Getica"? I consulted the index of the "Historia"
but found only a reference to Cassiodorus, also known "Senator".
The two books do however overlap to some extent, wherefore Paulus
mentions Theudericus rex Gotorum,  Rodolfos rex Herolorum *)
as well as Odoacar rex Turcillingorum. So we see then, that
Paulus Diaconus, even if seeming to be unacquainted
with Jordanes, he does mention the Gothi (sic) and can,
thus, be put on the "read" list for things Gothic.

>Personally I think listmembers are quite qualified to choose literature on
>the Goths from the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s,
>1970s, 1980s, 1990s and after.

Indeed, and now also from AD 781 !





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