An Introduction to the Gothic Language

by Thomas O. Lambdin

"The present work is designed to provide a carefully graded introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of the Gothic language. The material is presented in a way that I have found very effective in my teaching of other languages over the years, with enough examples and exercise material to lead the student to a rapid and intelligent reading of the extant texts. "In addition to this purely practical goal, I have also tried to clarify, to the extent possible, the aspectual nature of the Gothic verb, a subject somewhat neglected in the textbooks currently available in English. . . . "Because the study of Gothic is usually undertaken by students of Germanic or Indo-European philology, I have included a discussion of the historical phonology and morphology in a supplementary series of lessons whose contents parallel that of the corresponding lessons in the Grammar. . . . "The texts given include all extant portions of the four gospels together with the extant portions of Romans and First Timothy. The Gospel According to Luke has been fully glossed at the foot of each page to spare the student the loss of time in looking up words . . . . The end Glossary contains the complete vocabulary of the Gothic Bible with the exception of proper names and a few transliterated Greek words." --from the Preface

Genres: Gothic

382 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2005

Reviews

[Volsung]

This is a praise-worthy book indeed, and far outstrips the previous English work in this field (the "Introduction to Gothic" by Bennet) in scholarship and breadth of coverage. This is meant to be a book for teaching or learning Gothic, and each chapter covers different areas of the language -- with excellent scholarly detail as to usage -- and each chapter includes vocabulary lists and translation exercises. It is not a reference grammar: from the perspective of needing to look up this or that paradigm, the presentation might seem idiosyncratic; but as a teaching/learning tool it is unmatched. Wulfila's Biblical text is of course included; but what really rockets this book above and beyond any other in its field is the fact that each chapter has a corresponding chapter covering the historical development of Gothic (including excellent Proto-Indo-European etymologies). The organization of the book in this respect is superb: rather than be mixed together, the chapters covering the (complete) grammar of the language occupy one section, and the chapters covering the historical background of the language are in a separate section, making this an easy-to-access work for more than one function.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas O. Lambdin was a lecturer in Semitic languages at Harvard who took the very unusual step of retiring in his 50s to focus on producing learning materials. As Lambdin had already delved into ancient languages known to scholars mainly through Biblical translations, such as Ge’ez and Sahidic Coptic, he was eventually drawn outside his customary Semitic stomping grounds to the Gothic language. He published this introductory textbook of the language in 2006.

In 23 lessons, Lambdin sets out all the grammar of Gothic you need to read the extant texts and then some. Each lesson ends with a few of Gothic-English translation exercises, generally using invented but still quite authentic-feeling sentences. There are unfortunately no English-Gothic exercises or paradigm drills, so students will have to make those up on their own. Lambdin is sensitive to learners who need to learn Gothic but are not presently interested in all the comparative Indo-European linguistics that many previously published Gothic primers are heavy on. So, at the end of the book there are another 23 lessons, purely optional ones, of Gothic historical linguistics, shadowing the main 23 lessons that are nearly purely synchronic in their description.

Lambdin’s portioning of information in each lesson is not ideal; there is a lot in each lesson, sometimes Lambdin’s presentation is laconic, and the student might easily feel overwhelmed. As a textbook for a complete beginner, I strongly prefer William H. Bennett’s textbook with the same title An Introduction to the Gothic Language. Bennett doesn’t get too deep into the language, but he sets out the basics in a very clear and accessible fashion.

However, after working through Bennett’s textbook, Lambdin’s should be your next stop. The main reason for that is that Bennett’s book doesn’t have much actual reading material beyond its exercises, but Lambdin’s book gives you all extant portions of the four gospels from Codex Argentus, as well as portions of some epistles. So, by purchasing Lambdin’s book, the student will have nearly everything there is to read in Gothic.

Beyond the provision of ample reading material, Lambdin’s textbook also gets deeper into the language in ways that might be excessive for total beginnings, but worthwhile as one’s proficiency in Gothic improves. Lambdin comments much more on matters of style and word derivation than Bennett.

[Oleh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for self-study with historical grammar explanations, exercises and texts for pratice. My only complaint is that there are no answers provided for translation/conversion exercises so that I could check if I've made a mistake. But perhaps it's just me constantly questioning myself.