ENG 5068 Spring 2019 Johnson

It has recently been claimed that English is, in fact, a Scandinavian language: “Modern English is a direct descendant of the language of Scandinavians who settled in the British Isles in the course of many centuries, before the French-speaking Normans conquered the country in 1066,” says Jan Terje Faarlund, professor of linguistics at the University of Oslo. This is, of course, an exaggerated claim verging on nonsense, but the cultural and literary connections between Old English and Old Norse/Icelandic are undeniable, and it is a language worth learning to read for every student of North Atlantic culture, especially though not exclusively medievalists. This course will provide the necessary linguistic tools for students to gain direct access to a fascinating body of literature that includes Skaldic poetry, the Eddas, and the Íslendingasögur (known as the Sagas of Icelanders or Icelandic family sagas). By the end of the course students should be able to read most Old Norse prose with the aid of a dictionary. No prior knowledge of the language is expected or required.