[B-Greek] Size of GNT Vocabulary

bitan buth ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Fri Sep 23 03:44:14 EDT 2005


<< G'day Gary
I understand it is about the same.
But I bet it is harder to learn all those triliteral Hebrew words than the
NT Greek ones.
David McKay
david.mckay at ozemail.com.au
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-greek> 
 
>          What is the approximate size of the vocabulary of the Greek NT?
I'm interested in comparing it with the roughly 5,000-word vocabulary of the
Hebrew Tanakh.  Thanks in advance for any assistance!>
 
Several points on this. First, the tana"x is closer to 8000 words.
GNT is just over 5000.
 
Hebrew WORDS are words, not the roots that students often come with. We
always get students here who think that shalak is 'throw' when only hishlikh
is 'throw'. This is endemic, it seems that the current systems train
students to commit the etymological fallacy in their process of learning.
Consider, SAFAR 'count', SIPPER 'tell, give details', MANA is also 'count',
MINA 'appoint'. As they say, go figure.
 
Most importantly, learning is easy IN USE, in context. If a student EBALEN
BIBLION TW MAQHTA, they learn and remember. If a student HIshLIkh SEFER EL
TALMID, they learn. (Naturally, all three words are not introduced together
in the same sentence! Maybe first a MAQHTHS, then a BIBLION, then the fun
can begin. 
BALE TON BIBLION . . PIASON AUTON. DOS AUTO ., QES AUTO EPI THN TRAPAZAN
KTL.
 
ERRWSQE
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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