04-AO-HETE2

Course identification: 04-AO-HETE2
Class hours per week: 2
ECTS points: 5
Duration: 1 semester
Course offering: summer semester
Level: BA, second or third year; MA

Übung: Introductory Hittite 2

Content:
Hittite, which is the oldest attested language of the Indo-European family of languages, was written in Babylonian cuneiform. Thus the Hittite culture forms an established component of the cuneiform culture. The module offers an introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of the Hittite language as well as the cuneiform in which it was written, and reinforces the acquired knowledge with the reading of simple Hittite historical and/or legal texts. Additionally, basic knowledge of the cultural history of the Hittites and of the historical-cultural background of the text readings will be conveyed.

Learning objectives:
The student will possess an overview of the structure of the Hittite language and especially of the criteria necessary for the analysis of forms, as well as the ability to use the most important resources (grammars, dictionaries, bibliographies, text editions). He/she will be able (1) to attach possessive suffixes to nouns and decline these, (2) to analyse and translate verb forms, (3) to analyse conjunctions with enclitica, (4) to construct logical sentences from given lexemes and translate these, (5) to transliterate, analyse and translate Hittite cuneiform texts from the class curriculum, (6) to transliterate, analyse and translate simple Hittite texts beyond the class curriculum from the cuneiform texts with the help of dictionaries and sign lists; (7) he/she will possess a good basic knowledge of the historical-cultural background of the texts in question.

Examination:
Written test (90 minutes).