Háila!
Welcome to my course in Classical Gothic. The intention of this course is to make it possible to converse, read, and write in the classical form of the Gothic language, that used by the bishop Wulfila in the 4th century.
Gothic is the oldest surviving Germanic language; it comes from the same source as English, Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages. The earliest examples of the language date from the Wielbark and Cherniakhov cultures, from 200-400 AD, in the form of Elder Futhark runic inscriptions. Most notable is the ring of Pietroasa, which is variously read as gutaniowihailag ("Holy to the Jove of the Goths"), gutanijerwihailag ("Sacrosanct Year of the Goths"), or gutanioþalawihailag ("Sacred Inheritance of the Goths"). The most extensive document in the language is the translation of the Bible by the Gothic bishop Wulfila in the 4th century. This was written in the classical language, the form taught here. Several incomplete copies exist of the book, including the Codex Argenteus, known for its deep purple pages and silver and gold ink. The language was in use until the 8th century, when its decline began with many texts in the language being burned or erased, in an effort to stamp out Arianism and other heretic branches of Christianity associated with and written in the language of the Goths.
