Slavic 812

WINTER 2005

Readings in Church Slavonic

Instructor: Daniel E. Collins collins.232@osu.edu
Phone: 292-673

Office Hours: Hagerty 400F, M 9:30-12:30 and by appointment

«Filologija-èto nauka medlennogo i povtornogo č tenija».

Philology is the science of slow and repeated reading (L. V. Šč erba).

Course objectives

In introductory courses on Old Church Slavonic and other premodern Slavic languages, there is usually little time to devote to slow and repeated reading, and even less opportunity to read straight from the manuscript page; yet it is only with such practice that one can develop true familiarity with the graphics, vocabulary, syntax, and style of medieval texts. In this portion of Slavic 812, our goal will be to develop pragmatic competence in medieval Slavic texts. We will engage in close reading and communal sense-making of manuscripts written in the different lands of Slavia Orthodoxa- the Orthodox Slavic tradition. The manuscripts will be chosen, in part, on the basis of the participants' interests and will represent a variety of handwritings, genres, periods, and recensions (language variants). In our close reading and other practical exercises, we will focus not only on the meaning of the works but also on the diagnostic features of the recensions, characteristic stylistic and syntactic patterns, and the social function of the text kinds (genres) that were used in Slavia Orthodoxa. This guided multidimensional reading will give you the necessary confidence to do independent work on manuscript sources.

Readings

A course packet with background reading can be purchased in Hagerty 400 for $3.60. The class readings will be supplied from the resources of the Hilandar Research Library and are subject to fair-use agreements. I will choose texts with a view to illustrating the major recensions (written dialects), script types, and text kinds (genres) utilized in medieval Slavic Orthodox writing. I would be happy to include texts chosen by students, with due notice.

Professional Requirements

1. Attendance: Unexcused absences are not permitted. If you believe you a legitimate reason for being absent, you must get my permission in advance. If you are sick, please call the office, and be prepared to show me a doctor's note. Each unexcused absence will result in a 5-point deduction from the final grade.

2. Punctuality: Our professional ethics demand that we make the effort to be on time. Class ordinarily starts at the bell. Habitual tardiness disrupts your learning and disturbs the other students; moreover, it is disrespectful to the instructor and signals that you do not care about the class. Late students may get a talking to. Seriously late students (arriving five minutes or more after class has begun) will be penalized 1 point for each five-minute interval they are late.

Graded Work (subject to change with due notice)

1. Participation, effort, and professionalism: 25%. You are expected to come to class each day prepared to discuss the day's reading. (This does not mean you are expected to understand it fully!) In class, you must participate actively. You must be ready not just to listen to me but to contribute yourself by asking and answering questions, making observations, and solving problems posed in class. This class is a group effort; we will be deciphering the texts as a team. Thus it is essential for you to have a cooperative, collegial attitude.

2. Final project: 25%. Utilizing the resources of the Hilandar Research Library, you will choose a topic in consultation with me. You will give a 15-20-minute oral presentation in a Slavic Linguistics Forum, at the Midwest Slavic Conference, or on the last day of class; a succinct written version will be due on the last day of exam week. The default assignment is to give an ample description of a manuscript sample, including its contents, generic characteristics, paleography, and linguistic features; however, I am very open to other topics (e.g., comparison of manuscripts with the same content).

Grading Scale

Grades will be assigned based on the following scale:
93–100	A	80–82	B–	68–69	D+
90–92	A–	78–79	C+	65–67	D
88–89	B+	73–77	C	0-65	E
83–87	B	70–72	C–

Recommended Readings

General

Huntley, D. 1993. Old Church Slavonic. In B. Comrie and G. Corbett, eds., The Slavonic Languages, 125-87. London

Lixa č ev, D. S., ed. 1987-. Slovar' kni ž nikov i kni ž nosti drevnej Rusi. St. Petersburg.

Petkanova, D. 2003. Starobälgarska literatura: Enciklopedi čen re č nik. Veliko Tärnovo.

Picchio, Riccardo. 1980. Church Slavonic. In A. Schenker and E. Stankiewicz, The Slavic Literary Languages: Formation and Development, 1-33. New Haven.

Grammars

Diels, P. 1932-34. Altkirchenslavische Grammatik. 2vv. Heidelberg.

Lunt, H. G. 2001. Old Church Slavonic Grammar. 7th ed. Berlin.

Schenker, A. 1995. The Dawn of Slavic: An Introduction to Slavic Philology. New Haven.

Vaillant, A. 1948. Manuel du vieux slave. 2d ed. 2 vv. Paris.

Xaburgaev, G. A. 1974. Staroslavjanskij jazyk. Moscow.

Dictionaries

Avanesov, R. I., et al., eds. 1975-. Slovar' russkogo jazyka XI-XVII vv. Moscow. (Glosses in Russian; entries arranged à la Modern Russian, with no back jer and jat´ = e.)

Avanesov, R. I., et al., eds. 1988-. Slovar´ drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI-XIV vv.). Moscow. (Glosses in Russian.)

Cejtlin, R. M., R. Ve č erka, and E. Blahová, eds. 1994. Staroslavjanskij slovar'. Moscow. (Glosses in Russian, Czech, Greek, and Latin.)

D´jacenko, Grigorij. 1900/2002. Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar´. Reprint. Moscow.

Ivanova-Mir č eva, Dora, et al., eds. 1999-. Starobâlgarski re č nik. Sofija. (Glosses in Bulgarian.)

Kurz, J., et al., eds. 1958-. Slovník jazyka staroslov ě nského. Prague. (Glosses in Czech, Russian, Greek, and Latin.)

Lunt, H. G. 1959. A Glossary of Old Church Slavonic. Cambridge, Mass.

-----. 1970. Concise Dictionary of Old Russian (11th-17th Centuries). Munich.

Miklosich, Franz. 1845/1970. Radices linguae slovenicae veteris dialecti. Reprint. The Hague.

Sadnik, L., and R. Aitzetmüller. 1955. Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten. Heidelberg. (Glosses in German. Includes an etymological dictionary organized by roots and an index a tergo.)

Sreznevskij, I. I. [1893-1912] 1988-89. Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka. 3 vv. Reprint. Moscow. (In previous editions known as Materialy dlja slovarja drevnerusskogo jazyka.) (Glosses in Russian and Greek.)

Historical background

Dvornik, F. 1956. The Slavs: Their Early History and Civilization. Boston.

Mohrmann, Christine. 1957. Linguistic Problems in the Early Christian Church. Vigiliae christianae 11: 11-36.

Obolensky, D. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453. Crestview, N.Y.

Vlasto, A. P. 1970. The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs. Cambridge.