The Goths crossed the Danube into Roman territory in 376 AD.Gothic is the only language of the Germanic family to employ a polysyllabic dental suffix in forming the preterite of weak verbs. For example, where Old English has neredon ‘we saved’, Gothic has nasideÌ„dum ‘we saved’.The Germanic language is traditionally divided into three branches: North, West, and East Germanic. The corpus of the Gothic language consists chiefly of large portions of a translation of the New Testament Gospels and Epistles; the only surviving remnants of the Old Testament are chapters 5-7 of Nehemiah.
Example : Gospel of Luke 16.1-16
16:1 – jah inwisandins sabbate dagis Marja so Magdalene jah Marja so Iakobis jah Salome usbauhtedun aromata, ei atgaggandeins gasalbodedeina ina. 2 – jah filu air þis dagis afarsabbate atiddjedun du þamma hlaiwa at urrinnandin sunnin. 3 – jah qeþun du sis misso: Æ•as afwalwjai unsis þana stain af daurom þis hlaiwis? 4 – jah insaiÆ•andeins gaumidedun þammei afwalwiþs ist sa stains; was auk mikils abraba. 5 – jah atgaggandeins in þata hlaiw gaseÆ•un juggalauþ sitandan in taihswai biwaibidana wastjai Æ•eitai; jah usgeisnodedun. 6 – þaruh qaþ du im: ni faurhteiþ izwis, Iesu sokeiþ Nazoraiu þana ushramidan; nist her, urrais, sai þana staþ þarei galagidedun ina. 7 – akei gaggiþ qiþiduh du siponjam is jah du Paitrau þatei faurbigaggiþ izwis in Galeilaian; þaruh ina gasaiÆ•iþ, swaswe qaþ izwis. 8 – jah usgaggandeins af þamma hlaiwa gaþlauhun; dizuh-þan-sat ijos reiro jah usfilmei, jah ni qeþun mannhun waiht; ohtedun sis auk. 9 – usstandands þan in maurgin frumin sabbato ataugida sik frumist Marjin þizai Magdalene, af þizaiei uswarp sibun unhulþons. 10 – soh gaggandei gataih þaim miþ imma wisandam, qainondam jah gretandam. 11 – jah eis hausjandans þatei libaiþ jah gasaiÆ•ans warþ fram izai, ni galaubidebun. 12 – afaruh þan þata …
From the King James version:
16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that …
- Guda jah mannam – God and man [guþ is singular of guda]