Old Saxon as a Starting Point for the Study of Germanic Linguistics and Philology*

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we argue that Old Saxon is the best starting point for the study of Germanic linguistics and philology. We first introduce the issue, drawing on papers published in the late 1960s by Ulrich Groenke and W. Freeman Twaddell to do so. This is followed by a section evaluating other potential starting points for the area, specifically the other early Germanic languages and the history of German. We then make the case for Old Saxon, which is based on the high literary quality of the Old Saxon Hêliand (the main text of the language), the insights that the Hêliand can provide into early Germanic culture, the value of Old Saxon for learning the other early Germanic languages, and the quality of the tools available for learning Old Saxon.