The main object of this Gothic Grammar is to render service to academic
instruction, as a basis for lectures and Gothic exercises; it is
intended, at the same time, to afford the student sufficient aid in
acquiring a practical knowledge of the Gothic language and thus enable
him to follow more advantageously the lectures on historical and
comparativ grammar. For this purpose the Gothic Fonology and Inflection
ar, as far as possibl, set forth by themselves, without resorting
to Comparativ Grammar for an explanation of the facts. Occasionally
another Germanic dialect, as the Old High German, has rather been
referd to. The linguistic elucidation is left to the lectures. To him,
however, who lerns Gothic from this book, without any possibility
of hearing lectures, wishing at the same time to gain profounder
knowledge, there may be especially recommended the following helps: K.
BRUGMANN'S 'Grundriss der vergleichenden grammatik' and FR. KLUGE'S
'Vorgeschichte der altgermanischen dialekte' (in PAUL'S 'Grundriss der
germ. philologie', I, 300-406).
The references to literary works containd in the Grammar itself ar not
intended to act as linguistic explanations, but refer to works and
treatises which present much of profit concerning the establishment
and conception of facts from a purely Gothic point of view; several
references to BRUGMANN'S 'Grundriss' ar perhaps the only exceptions.
The Reading Exercises ar intended to offer sufficient material for
Gothic exercises; they giv students working independently of a teacher
an opportunity to apply what they hav lernd from the Grammar. The
beginner may be advized at first simply to read over the chapters on
Fonology, but to giv more attention to those on Inflection (for the
beginning without the notes) and then to commence reading a text. This
exercise ought to be accumpanied by a more extended lerning of the
Grammar, just as a thuro analysis of the text wil require a constant
reference to the Grammar.
The Glossary contains not only the vocabulary of the Reading Exercises,
but also all words occurring in the Grammar. The citations from the
Inflection hav been givn in ful, those from the Fonology in every case
where a word is not givn merely as an arbitrary chozen exampl. Thus the
Glossary may at the same time serv as an Index to the Grammar.
Sinse its first appearance in 1880, this book has not undergone
essential changes; the success seemd to me to garantee the
appropriateness of the plan, so that also in the present edition I hav
not complied with several wishes for a farther scope. I stil hold that
an admixture of elements from Comparativ Filology would be opposed to
the object of the book. The question could rather arize as to whether
there ought not to be added any chapters on Word-Formation and Syntax
as main parts to the Fonology and Inflection. However this also has
been disregarded. Such points of word-formation as may promote the
practical study of the Gothic language, wil be found interwoven in
the Inflection; a systematic presentation of the Gothic alone does
not seem to me to prove very beneficial, but only in connection with
the other Germanic, resp. Indo-Germanic, languages. And particularly
with respect to this, excellent assistance is afforded the student by
KLUGE's 'Nominale stammbildungslehre der altgermanischen dialekte'
(cp. § 223) which has been amply referd to under Inflection, and which
is easily accessibl as a supplementary number to the 'Sammlung kurzer
grammatiken germanischer dialekte'. The addition of a syntax in harmony
with the rest of the grammar would likely hav increast the book to dubl
its size, which, as regards its sale, seemd to me a point wurthy of
consideration. There are, moreover, easily attainabl summaries of the
Gothic language. Therefore I hav for the present contented myself with
annexing a list of grammatical and lexical helps (§ 224), which may
serv as a guide to the inquirer.
For this edition I hav again receivd kind informations from sum that
uze the book. Beside the correction of misprints, the contents of the
book has been favorably influenced by notes receivd from Mssrs. G. H.
Balg, R. Bethge, J. Franck, and M. H. Jellinek. I herewith express my
sincerest thanks to all. Mr. Roediger's review has also been thankfully
uzed. For assistance renderd me in correcting the proof-sheets, I ow
many thanks to my friend E. Sievers.
HEIDELBERG, May 1st, 1895.