Greek Historical Linguistics

The subject consists of two main parts: (a) specific topics to be explored through texts and (b) the general history of the Greek language with special reference to the development of the literary languages.

There are three text-based topics (and you will have to answer questions on two of these in the Finals paper): (i) the dialects of Greek poetry, which will involve looking in detail at the language of Homer and some lyric poets; (ii) Greek dialect inscriptions, which will offer an introduction to some of the many local varieties of Greek; (iii) Linear B, which will provide an opportunity to read some texts in Mycenaean Greek, preserved on clay tablets from the second millennium B.C., our earliest evidence for the language.

The general history of Greek will cover topics such as the Indo-European origins of Greek, varieties of Greek, the influence of neighbouring languages, the history of writing in Greece, the linguistic traditions of poetry, the development of formal prose and scientific language, the emergence of the koine (common language), etc.

Each of the text-based topics will be taught in six two-hour classes; there will be eight lectures on the history of Greek.

Preliminary reading: L. R. Palmer, The Greek Language (London, 1980); A. Meillet, Aperçu d'une histoire de la langue grecque (Paris, 1975).