Advanced Languages Portal

Come join us as we read the Gospel of John in the original Greek! This module will review grammar where needed, discuss the latest lexical tools, touch on textual issues, but mostly work through this text at a relaxed pace.

Find yourself in need of a refresher for your Greek skills? Come join us for reading the Gospel of John in the original Greek! This module will review grammar where needed, discuss the latest lexical tools, touch on textual issues, but mostly work through this text at a relaxed pace.

Dr. Peter Baker, then of the University of Virginia, translated Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland into Old English. This module will work with and translate back into Modern English this fun and delightful text, Æðelgyðe Ellendæda on Wundorlande: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in Old English.

These selections will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for advanced study. Each month, Dr. Larry Swain and/or Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Some of the texts we could explore in a given month include:
• Advanced Old English Readings: Beowulf I
• Advanced Old English Readings: Beowulf II
• Advanced Old English Readings: Riddles
• Advanced Old English Readings in Prose: The Old English Boethius
• Advanced Old English Readings: Genesis A 1
• Advanced Old English Readings: Genesis A 2
• Advanced Old English Readings in Poetry: Judith and Exodus
• Advanced Old English Readings: Heroic Elegies
• Advanced Old English Readings: Cynewulf's Juliana
• Advanced Old English Readings: Cynewulf's Christ II
• Advanced Old English Readings: Apollonius of Tyre
• Advanced Old English Readings: Ælfric's Lives of the Saints
• Advanced Old English Readings: Ælfric's Letter to Sigeweard
• Advanced Old English Readings: The Blickling Homilies
• Advanced Old English Readings: Selections in Prose
• Advanced Old English: Alice in Wonderland
• Advanced Old English: Tolkien's Old English Poetry

Including these texts taught by Dr. Isaac Schendel:
• Readings in Old English: The Battle of Maldon & Group Reading
• Intermediate Old English: The Homilies of Wulfstan
• The Old Saxon for Old English Readers (The Old Saxon Hêliand I)

Note: Please refer to the Required Texts section on a month's iteration page to see which texts the group has decided upon for a given month.

Cynewulf is one of the few poets whose name we know from the Old English period. He composed 4 narrative poems casting saints' lives into Old English poetry. "Christ II" is so named because it is one of three poems dealing with key moments in Christ's life: the "Advent" and Incarnation, the Ascension, and the Harrowing of Hell. This middle poem is the one we know as certainly as we can that it was composed by Cynewulf and has a number of very interesting features.

Welcome to the Readings in Poetry page for the Advanced Old English Series in which students explore, in alternating months, a work of prose and then a work of poetry to introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for study. Each month Dr. Swain surveys the group to see what they want to tackle next from month to month.

In this series of Advanced Old English Readings we explore, in alternating months, a work of prose and then a work of poetry to introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for study. Each month Dr. Swain surveys the group to see what they want to tackle next from month to month.

Welcome to the Readings in Prose page for the Advanced Old English Series in which students explore, in alternating months, a work of prose and then a work of poetry to introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old English texts available for study. Each month Dr. Swain surveys the group to see what they want to tackle next from month to month.

Most people know that J. R. R. Tolkien was a scholar as well as a writer of speculative fiction. His scholarship was extensive and one of his primary areas was Old English language and literature. But fewer fans know that he also composed poetry in Old English, especially in the early stages of his career. This module will attempt to gather and translate Tolkien's Old English poetry from the various sources in HoME and other sources where they are printed.

(Note: This module can be joined in any month.)

Vǫlsunga saga (“The Saga of the Vǫlsungs”) is a medieval Icelandic retelling of one of the best-known legendary cycles of the pre-modern Germanic-speaking world – stories that influenced the operas of Richard Wagner, the fantasies of J. R. R. Tolkien, and many other modern creative artists. In this module, we will continue to translate the Vǫlsunga saga and discuss both the language and how the saga’s version of the legends relate to other versions known from the medieval world.

Designed for intermediate students of Classical or Biblical Greek with roughly a year under their belts, this course will provide a detailed look at the inflectional system of Ancient Greek, moving past the memorization of paradigms to provide a rich linguistic explanation for why Ancient Greek word forms work the way they do.

This sixth-month programme consists of six individual learning modules. Each module will consist of eight lessons spread over four weeks. The focus of these modules is three-fold: 1) to introduce you in a relaxed way to the essential grammar of the Latin language (from the basics of noun declensions to the subjunctive uses of verbs); 2) to build your Latin vocabulary (to something around 2,000 words at the end of the six modules); and 3) to learn to enjoy reading basic Latin texts. The last of these is most important. Grammar is not an end in itself but helps us understand texts in a more accurate manner and to become more fluent. The grammar which you will learn roughly follows the order prescribed by Shelmerdine’s Introduction to Latin, which will serve as textbook throughout the modules. In addition to the translation and grammar exercises she provides, I will provide you with tailored ‘modernised’ Latin passages, including passages from The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and other literary and historical works. In a given week, the basic idea is for the first lesson to be more instructional, focused on explaining key grammatical constructions, while the second lesson will take the form of a workshop, where we will translate passages together, and where I can help answer questions from homework assignments.

The path to language proficiency lies in making many mistakes (and not being ashamed of these) and in extensive daily practice.

This series of modules would be for students who want to learn how to read Biblical Hebrew. The course would include some speaking, listening, and writing skills as well. But people who learn Biblical Hebrew do so in order to read it, so reading and comprehension skills would take primary focus.

Course Outline:

Weeks One and Two
• Sessions 1-4: Introduce the Hebrew alphabet and vowel classes
Week Three
• Session 5: History of Hebrew alphabet and vowel pointers
• Session 6: Syllabification
Week Four
• Session 7: Daghesh and Shewa
• Session 8: Reduced vowels

In this mini module of four one-hour sessions, we will have fun with Latin Christmas Carols. Any "homework" is optional, texts will be provided, fun shall be had!!! Come and enjoy!

Note: This mini module is a special group experience designed for a small and intimate group of 3 to 4 students for the cost of 1 Token.

One of the best methods for language learning is to read and discuss a text with friends in a relaxed setting. One can discuss the subject matter from a “literary” perspective, focusing on themes, character development, narrative styles, or from a “language-learner” perspective, focusing on new words, idioms, or syntax. Both discussion types allow us to get to know a text intimately. If one of your foreign languages is Modern German, consider joining SPACE’s German Book Club for a month, where we read German short stories or books and meet twice a week to discuss them—in either English or German!

This module is aimed at the advanced beginner or intermediate level and seeks to meet the intellectual interests of the participants. Every month, the preceptor (Isaac Schendel) chooses a new text based on student interest and German level. Examples include: the novels of Hermann Hesse, the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, or the fairy tales of Johann Karl August Musäus. Feel free to send in any suggestions and be sure to bring along some Kaffee und Kuchen.

Designed for students who have completed an introductory Latin textbook and wish to explore real Latin texts at a gentle pace, this class will walk students through a selection of Psalms from the Latin Vulgate, adapting the quantity of texts and homework to meet the needs of the enrolled students. We will parse passages and read the psalms clause by clause, moving somewhat slowly to allow ample time for grammatical review as students test different translation techniques and absorb new abbreviations, grammatical quirks, and irregular or new forms.

Note: Students who took this module in 2023 are welcome to repeat it; the 2024 module will feature different psalms than its predecessor.

This first module emphasizes the reading of more complex stela texts, providing students with opportunities to use research materials outside of the Collier and Manley text. Building on previous examples, this module provides students a means to practice and refine all of the hard won skills from the previous modules as we continue to slowly add new vocabulary and grammar.

Note: This series is especially suited for students who have already taken our beginning sequence of modules in our Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Beginners series.

This first module emphasizes the reading of more complex non-stela texts, providing students with opportunities to use research materials outside of the Collier and Manley text. Building on previous examples, this module provides students a means to practice and refine all of the hard won skills from the previous modules as we continue to slowly add new vocabulary and grammar.

(Note: This module is a continuation from Middle High German 2)

Middle High German (MHG) is the umbrella term for the German dialects used in the Holy Roman Empire from about 1050 to 1350. Its written form was the language of the court, and most MHG poetry embraces chivalric intellectual interests—adventure, romances, and courtly love! Come join us this month to continue learning Middle High German, and you’ll learn how to read some of the greatest monuments of medieval literature—The Nibelungenlied, Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan und Isolde, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, the poems of the Minnesänger (courtly poets)—in the original language!

Generally speaking, it takes about three months to read Middle High German competently, but after completing the sequence, students should be able to participate in SPACE’s Readings in Middle High German series. Middle High German offers tons of adventure, including Heroic Epic (Das Nibelungenlied, Kudrun), Crusader Epic (König Rother, Willehalm), Arthurian Romance (Parzival), and the Tristan story (Tristan und Isolde). Completing this sequence will prepare students for their journey into a new and large world of medieval literature.

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of Greek texts available for intermediate-level study. Each month, Dr. Larry Swain surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Some of the texts we could explore in a given month include:
• Stump the Swain: Easy Classical Greek Readings
• Easy Koine Greek Readings
• Advanced Greek Readings: Gospel of Matthew
• Advanced Greek Readings: Gospel of John Series
• Advanced Greek Readings: Paul's Letter to the Galatians

Note: Please refer to the Required Texts section on a month's iteration page to see which texts the group has decided upon for a given month.

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of Latin texts available for intermediate-level study . Each month, our preceptors survey the group using the Intermediate Latin Series survey form to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Some of the texts we could explore in a given month include:
• Latin: The Vulgate Gospel of Matthew
• Latin: Plautus' Miles Gloriosus (the Braggart Soldier)
• Latin: Augustine's Confessions
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Catullus
• Intermediate Latin Readings: The Vulgate Bible 1
• Intermediate Latin Readings: The Vulgate Hester
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Caesar’s Gallic Wars
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Martial’s Epigrammata
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Gesta Romanorum
• Intermediate Latin Readings: Horace
• Advanced Latin Readings: Cicero's Pro Archia Oration
• Advanced Latin Readings: Aesop's Fables
• Advanced Latin Readings: Hobbitus Ille
• Advanced Latin Readings: Silius Italicus' 'Punica'
• Advanced Latin Readings: Vergil's Aeneid in a Year

Note: Please refer to the Required Texts section on a month's iteration page to see which texts the group has decided upon for a given month.

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of texts available for study in Middle High German. Each month, Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of texts available for study in Middle High German. Each month, Dr. Isaac Schendel surveys the group to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

This module, which builds on the skills taught in the previous Middle High German Modules, looks at another representative of the Medieval German so-called Spielmannsdichtung (pseudo-minstrel tales). It tells the story of the Duke Ernest, who after unsuccessfully waging an assassination attempt and civil war against his misled step-father (and Holy Roman Emperor) flees to the Far East as a crusader, encountering mythical creatures and far-off places reminiscent to anyone who has read the Old English Wonders of the East.

We will follow the methods used in other Middle High German modules and look at the Herzog Ernst poem both as literature and as a chance for interested students to continue perfecting their Middle High German reading skills. We will read selections of the text in the original language and translate them into English. Since it’s not entirely feasible to assume that everyone has access to a modern English translation, we will primarily discuss the translated sections, although a summary of the poem in general will be given.

Questions discussed in the module will include questions of genre (as always) and the connection between the frame story and the second narrative, monsters and the bridal-quest, the medieval political philosophy and the HRE (Holy Roman Empire), crusade poetry, and more.

The language of Herzog Ernst is roughly equivalent to the language of the Nibelungenlied, so completion of the Middle High German 1 and 2 modules are strongly encouraged. If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to contact Dr. Schendel.

(Note: This module can be joined in any month.)

This series will help introduce students to the breadth and depth of Old Norse texts available for study. Each month, Dr. Anderson surveys the group using the Old Norse survey form to see which text students are most interested in exploring next.

Some of the texts we could explore in a given month include:
• Vǫlsunga Saga (“The Saga of the Vǫlsungs”)
• The excerpted short texts in Jesse Byock’s Viking Language 2 (which can both be ordered from Amazon, etc.)
• The other short but complete texts in Byock’s saga series: The Tale of Thorstein Staff-struck and/or Saga of the People of Weapon’s Fjord (which can both be ordered from Amazon, etc.)
• Njáls saga. (There is a modernized Icelandic text online.)
• Laxdœla saga. (There is a modernized Icelandic text online.)
• Egil’s saga. (A free PDF of a good edition is available from the Viking Society.)
• The Prose Edda, or portions thereof (Free PDFs are available from the Viking Society.)
• Something from the legendary sagas (besides Vǫlsunga saga), e.g.:
--- Hrólfs saga kraka. (There is a modernized Icelandic text online.)
--- Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (A free PDF of C. Tolkien’s edition/translation is available from the Viking Society.)
--- Ragnars saga loðbrókar (Olsen’s 1908 edition is available as a PDF online.)
• Something form the chivalric and/or Arthurian sagas (various texts online or in print).
• Eddic poetry (various texts are available online).
• Faroese ballads of the Vǫlsungs (not technically “Old Norse”, but the 19th-century editions are available online).

But there are many other possibilities!