[B-Greek] pronunciation rules

bitan buth ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Sat Oct 8 12:13:19 EDT 2005



Shalom Larry 
ISXUE KAI QARSEI
Be strong and take heart. 
Things are in better shape than you may imagine. See below.

>Well this is discouraging to me. I have a simple goal of being able to 
read and pronounce the Greek Scriptures as living language rather than the 
"dead" language and cryptogram that I learned in college and soon forgot 
many years ago. To accomplish this, I've tried to get my hands on a 
reading of the entire NT rather than a few isolated passages, so that 
along with studying the necessary grammar etc, I could immerse myself in 
the sound and duplicate it as one normally does in learning any language 
that is not "dead."
 
>A while back, I was very excited to finally locate what I thought was the 
only actual reading of the entire NT available (by Marilyn Phemister). 
Only recently have I become aware of how close Koine is to modern Greek 
and the whole issue discussed in this thread; Erasmian vs. Modern. vs.
 Phonemic, etc. Well, after settling on Modern as a listening and speaking
 form (due to the wealth of material available in spoken form and due also 
to some of the arguments advanced in this thread) I ran across Zodhiates' 
Koine reading. Now, after beginning to work with that, I'm finding out that 
he is using some sort of home-made "pig Latin/Greek" with a rumored real 
Greek version to come later! Is this true? Somebody please slap me!>

** Your Zodhiates CDs are excellent. They are not pig Latin, but they are
read "didactically", purposefully slowed down for learners, with some
corresponding adjustments (e.g., pronouncing some ghamma that would
otherwise be swallowed in "leyi" 'he says'. My ears actually 'pretend' they
hear French-u when listening.) It may please you to know that the Voice of
America produces similarly styled material around the world in English. It
sounds unnaturally slow to fluent English speakers, but second language
learners love it and can follow news and programs that would otherwise go
over their head. Wouldn't you like to be able to do that in ancient Greek? I
would figure that you probably have 500 good listening hours ahead of you
before you would need faster stuff. You need 'comprehensible input' and you
will note that two-three year olds are given much special language. So your
CDs are a great investment and you probably will want to delay the purchase
of a faster recording. [I've noticed that my own James and 1 John can seem
too fast for learners. Someone complained last year that 1 John was too
fast, but this year they said with a smile that it was just right. What to
do?]**

>Dr. Buth's Phonemic approach is convincing, but there appears to be a
dearth of supplemental material using that approach and he doesn't have the
NT recorded in Phonemic Greek (my immediate desire). Also, I think it would
be easier for me to make any necessary adjustment from Modern to Phonemic
than the other way around.>

**Don't know about best directions for pronunciation. What I know is that
ancient Greek is different enough morpho-syntactically that a person must
work to internalize it directly. For me that means tweeking the pronuncation
a bit, too. Modern Greek language is not a shortcut to the ancient
language(though it is probably better than never trying to internalize the
ancient.) 
I wish we had time and backing to produce more material. I've mentioned on
this list from time to time that what is needed is for a halfdozen or more
Greek teachers to meet together for about four summers in a row in order to
forge both new skills and new materials for teaching Imperial Koine [the
whole language, not just a pronunciation.] Maybe there are some teachers
listening with institutional contacts and credible track records for
obtaining the rather large grants that such a program would entail? I would
recommend a Greek isle to promote an encouraging outside stimulus of what
fluent language use is. Patmos is nice and isolated, but would families come
along? Would their teenagers learn modern Greek or mope on the beach while
dad/mom are in seminar? Israel works, too, and families can learn Hebrew :-)
A more practical approach would be 4-week seminars, but that would delay
effective results and might cause a backlash of disappointment if there were
less-than-expected results after two or three such summers.** 
 
>If I can get a hold of a Modern Greek recording of the NT (an actual
language, not dead, not an academic fabrication, not a dramatic simulation)
I believe I can handle the rest. Do I seek in vain?>

**Your Spiros' set already meets your basic needs. MH EKPLHSSOU MHDE
DEILIASHS Keep your head high, at least EPAKROOU AUTOU, TOUT'ESTIN TOU
SPIROU. If you would like to compare our James and 1 John, write our
website.**
 
>I'm all ears: Should I keep/burn Zodhiates? Go to Israel and study under
Dr. Buth? Call Greek a dead language and learn to read and speak the Spanish
NT instead? >

**QUE LASTIMA?! AY CARUMBA!? {anyone notice that that translated 'hot d*mn!'
in the film "Brother Where Art Thou [c Spanish subtitles]"?}
Your Zodhiatis is good. If you come here we'll expect you to become fluent
in Hebrew, too, and you'll succeed at that long before Greek because of the
unlimited contact/use time! I am actually a Hebrew teacher and it has taken
8 years to get the summer Biblical Hebrew courses in shape. Greek classes
only happen "occasionally, on demand". We ran one last Spring, and hope to
do another this Spring.**

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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