Project Description

The research project “Runic writing in the Germanic languages (RuneS)” deals with the runic script as a writing system within its historico-cultural context in a comprehensive way, focusing in particular on the graphetic and graphemic aspects of writing. It investigates the oldest independently developed writing system in the Germanic languages, the runic script.

It is the aim of the project to describe and analyse runic writing in a comprehensive way, transcending the boundaries of the three groups of runic writing systems (older fuþark, younger fuþąrk and Anglo-Frisian fuþorc) by subjecting all three systems to uniform methods of investigation. The focus of the investigations will be on the medial aspect of writing, i.e. on “runic graphemics”, with an emphasis on the materiality of signs and texts as well as on the relationship between signs and function.

The focus of research is to document, describe and explain the process of runic writing and the development of different, regionally adapted runic writing systems, adjusting and modifying the concept of German Verschriftung ['scripting'] used in orality-literacy research. This implies a complete, systematic and functional analysis of all signs recorded on the monuments of the analysed sub-corpora. For each sign, i.e., for each intentional mark on a runic monument, a graphtypological description and classification will be provided and we will attempt to identify a function, distinguishing first between extra-runic signs and runic signs proper. The runic signs proper will then be analysed as to their place in the writing system. In a second step, the development of the writing systems as well as the system-internal and system-external reasons and triggers for this development will move into the focus of our research.

The result of the digitally based graphemic research is the first digital platform for runic graphemics (see RuneS database).

This research is preceded by the design and development of a uniformly structured digital corpus basis, which also includes the completion of new runic editions and further theoretical and methodological research.