3.00 Credits
Prerequisite(s): GER 3050 and University Advanced Standing. Explores the history of the German language from its Indo-European roots to its present form today. Investigates the differences between the major families of Germanic languages and looks at examples of these languages in the literary record, with a focus on the direct predecessors of modern German, especially Old High German, Middle High German, and Early New High German. Introduces historical linguistics to understand the processes of change in terms of morphology, phonology, and syntax, and basic phonetics.