Linguistics and opposite conclusions
Jonathan Robie
jonathan.robie at datadirect-technologies.com
Tue Oct 29 08:00:33 EST 2002
At 05:59 AM 10/29/2002 -0500, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>Long ago on this list I
>expressed a dislike for Jonathan's distinction between "big Greek" and
>"little Greek" on grounds that nobody is so competent in ancient Greek that
>he or she cannot learn new things about it from others. We are all
>students, even if some of us have been studying longer than others.
Actually, Carl, I think that the way I use the term "little Greek" is in
agreement with what you say here. Here's an excerpt from my "Little Greek"
home page:
<quote>
What is a little Greek?
A "Little Greek" is someone who is still learning Greek. The phrase
originated when someone on the B-Greek Mailing List suggested that "a
little Greek is a dangerous thing". I replied that I am a Little Greek, and
I am dangerous, but so are some of the Big Greeks. Most Greek grammars say
a few things that are completely wrong, and most noted authorities on the
Greek language have said at least one stupid thing. But there is good news:
even Really Incredibly Awesome Big Greeks can be Little Greeks too, as long
as they realize one thing:
EXOMEN DE TON QHSAURON TOUTON EN OSTRAKINOIS SKEUESIN, hINA hH hHPERBOLH
THS DUNAMEWS hH TOU QEOU KAI MH EX hHMWN (2 Cor 4:7)
Those who don't know aren't dangerous; those who insist they do know are
very dangerous. This is just as true for Really Big Greeks as for Little
Greeks. Each of us knows only in part; if we want to profit by studying
Greek, we must have the humility and the patience to learn one step at a
time, to be corrected by others, and be open to the Spirit who guides us in
all truth.
</quote>
I've learned important things in this thread, especially from Iver and
Mark, and intend to keep learning.
Jonathan
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