[B-Greek] Pronunciation rules

bitan buth ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Wed Oct 5 18:10:39 EDT 2005


I'll try to respond to several emails at once. 

PASI, XAIREIN

[YIHR JUSTIN AURUHBO
"MAAHDH RIIHA, YI NUHD!? Yi baak?
EEYI, GIHN MAA RAAJ TOORO."
Or should I say, "Chee baak!"?
AKWIIJA -- Wihya awihl
Yi NGAY KE DHOK Luwo/Luo, Chol, Nuer, MuonyJaang?]

On Gary Meadors question, the 10-page PDF on Koine Pronunciation is still
available, there are some typos, as a download at
www.biblicalulpan.org under "courses", "Greek".

I think I appreciate both Curt's sensitivities wanting a 'real' system and
Steve's sensitivities wanting a diachronic system. 
Do people realize how close these two are? How much and how strong the
evidence is for the bulk of the decisions?

This is one of the few situations in life where a person can have their cake
and eat it. Look at the data. 
OK, it would require a change, and the result might not sound very much like
current Erasmian, but it is an easy change and would authentically fit the
texts that this list is interested in. (Students enjoy it every time they
read a papyrus. They feel they can hear the author.) Even modern speakers
might be able to accommodate this, by speaking "modern 'plus' two vowels".
In fact, at the end of the Roman Period they would only have to add one
vowel, ü-psilon, which does not conflict with or take up any space from the
modern language. It doesn't get much better than this. And it's not so hard
when reading a written text, and something that even feels good when reading
a dialect where HMAS and UMAS need to be different. 

The agreed bottom line is to internalize the language. While the proper use
of listening-oral methodologies will certainly have a positive impact on
beginning learners and can both speed up and deepen their learning, it does
tend to remove the ceiling and allow one to see the sky. That may be
intimidating, if it isn't--take a peek upwards, but fresh air is nice.

PLHQUNQEIH EULOGIAI EN TW EPIONTI ETEI!

Randall Buth


Randall Buth, PhD
Biblical Language Center
www.biblicalulpan.org
c/o margbuth at gmail.com
also, Director, Biblical Studies in Israel
under Rothberg International School,
Hebrew University
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il






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