Introduction to Old Church Slavonic

Old Church Slavonic (OCS) is the oldest Slavic written language, designed in the 9th c. for the purposes of translating/reading liturgical Biblical texts (Gospels, Lives of Saints, prayer books, etc.) from Greek. OCS is close to Proto-Slavic, the ancestor of all Slavic languages. Its development had a great impact on all Slavs, their language, culture and literature. The course will provide an introduction to the structure (phonology, morphology and syntax) of OCS, as well as its subtle and not so subtle transformations into Church Slavic. During the course, students will become familiar with the historical background of the OCS and the characteristics of the OCS textual corpus.