Sentences in Greek, possibles

Richard Allan Stauch rstauch at charter.net
Thu Aug 8 11:20:00 EDT 2002


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Wilson
> Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 5:51 AM
> To: Biblical Greek
> Subject: [b-greek] Re: Sentences in Greek, possibles
> 
> Randall:
> You wrote:
> -----
> > >No one "thinks KOINE Greek" today. If that is
> > >your objective or hope, you are sure to fall short.
> > >Linguistically, that can not happen.
> >That's an interesting proposition.
> >"Cannot happen."
> Yes, I AM claiming that no one THINKS in their second language. And
> I AM also saying that it is impossible to THINK in a dead language,
> no matter how much one devotes himself/herself to studying it.
> Mark Wilson

Let me just follow up with this one thought. As I read the Greek texts,
I find I have two modes of thinking. One is reading in Greek, the other
is translating "in line," so to speak.

That is, in one mode, I am reading the Greek words and phrases qua
Greek. In the other mode, I am translating the words "on the fly," and
putting them together as English phrases.

Either way gets me what I desire, to understand the author's message.
It's just that the first mode is what I have been talking about:
Thinking Greek.

I find the second mode slower, but just as accurate over time.

Does that clarify?

Richard Allan Stauch
Long Beach, CA






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