English 234 - GOTHIC

The language of the ancient Goths was first recorded in the fourth century CE, our best resource for reconstructing the prehistory of Old English to which it is closely related. In a series of grammar lessons and daily translations from Wulfila's New Testament, we learn his unique Gothic script based upon the runic futhark and Greek alphabet, as well as explore the character of Gothic spirituality and political institutions, a cultural complex which gave the various Gothic-speaking groups a distinctive sense of ethnic identity and resilience as the first barbarian people to penetrate the mighty Roman empire and survive.