Analysis of NT Grammars Thesis

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Louis L Sorenson
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Analysis of NT Grammars Thesis

Post by Louis L Sorenson »

I found the following dissertation by David Buttacavoli, 2004 (D. Ed., Biola Univeristy) A Descriptive Analysis of Selected First-year New Testament Greek Grammars Published After 1990 in Light of Second Language Research. The Biola record can be found at http://libcat.biola.edu/search/?searcht ... cm61283153. Here is an abstract:
First-year New Testament Greek grammars are a vital link in developing the skills needed to read and translate the original Greek language of the New Testament. Since 1990, a new, revised, or reprinted first-year New Testament Greek grammar has appeared on the market at a rate of two per year. In an effort to improve Greek curriculum, this study sought to investigate what first-year New Testament Greek grammars offer the student to build the skills needed to read and translate the original Greek. The study sought to determine the characteristic method each grammar employed, identify the features or improvements purported which warranted its publication, discuss the nature of the features or improvements, and suggest areas of future curriculum development. The criteria used to determine the method were extrapolated from an historical overview of the early language teaching methods dating back to the Renaissance Period. The criteria included a description of how the vocabulary was to be learned, a description of how grammatical constructions were to be learned, and the description of the activities or procedures and exercises that were to take place. A selection of 13 of the 26 grammars was analyzed. Twelve of the thirteen grammars employed the Grammar Translation Method. The features or improvements offered in the respective grammars enhanced the presentation of the curriculum material rather than the process skills needed to read New Testament Greek. This study suggests that the predominant Grammar Translation Method leaves various aspects of student learning unsatisfied or incomplete because it is limited by its manner of presentation and its procedures. This study also suggests supplementing first year Greek curriculum with various applications, activities, and techniques borrowed from second language research that focus on building the necessary processing skills to know and understand the New Testament Greek language. This will provide the student a better foundation in understanding, storing, and utilizing New Testament Greek.
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