F. Warren Bittner, CG, “Reading German I: The ABCs of Gothic”

“Reading German I: The ABCs of Gothic”

F. Warren Bittner, CG

$69.99

Students will learn how to read the Gothic German alphabet using examples from German church records. Homework between lectures will be assigned so students will have a full immersive experience in the language. The series will consist of four 90 minute lectures over a four week period.

F. Warren Bittner, CG, is a genealogical researcher and lecturer. He is a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He holds a Master of Science degree in history from Utah State University. His master’s thesis looked at the social factors affecting illegitimacy in nineteenth-century Bavaria.

Warren Bittner was a winner of the National Genealogical Society 2011 Writing Contest, with his article “Without Land, Occupation, Rights, or Marriage Privilege: The Büttner Family from Bavaria to New York.” This article was also awarded the  National Genealogical Society, Award for Excellence, 2012 which is presented annually for an outstanding article published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly.

He has coordinated German research tracks at the Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. For six years he was the German Collection Manager for the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He has done research in more than fifty German archives and in more than forty U.S. archives and record repositories

Course Schedule

Day 1: Upper‑case letters

  • The 29 German upper-case letter will be introduced, including the ligatures.
  • Easily confused upper‑case letters and examples will be taught.
  • Students will be given homework assignments for writing practice.

Day 2: Lower‑case letters

  • The 32 German lower-case letter will be introduced, including the ligatures.
  • Easily confused lower‑case letters and examples will be given.
  • Students will be given homework assignments for writing practice.

Day 3: Gothic Script Reading Workshop

  • The session will build on what was taught the preceding two lectures. The students will be given lists of names in gothic script by various scribes, and will work to transcribe them correctly. The class will then read and write the names together.
  • Students will be given homework assignments for writing practice.

Day 4: Gothic Script Reading Workshop 2

  • This capstone workshop will review the homework from the previous week.
  • Difficult entries will be examined letter by letter. Unusual letter forms will be discussed.
  • Diminutives and name variations will be discussed.

 

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