[B-Greek] UBS Reader's Edition GNT
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sat Nov 24 06:32:47 EST 2007
On Nov 23, 2007, at 10:59 PM, Bert de Haan wrote:
> Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com> wrote on
> Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:56:02 -0500:
>
>>> I'd have to say that I think an interlinear would be more
>>> immediately useful for the person who can't really read NT Greek or
>>> cope with a real lexicon.
>
> I am assuming that this is an overreaction. If not, then I don't
> understand you. I have a interlinear but never use it anymore.
I really don't think I've said anything different about interlinears
on other occasions. You are citing the final sentence of a paragraph
intended to discourage use of the "Reader's Edition GNT." In the
fuller context, what I said about interlinears is that they are better
than the "Reader's Edition" for the sort of person who thinks they'd
find the "Reader's Edition" useful. Here's that full paragraph:
"It would appear that we are defining "Reader's Edition GNT" as a
Greek NT for people who (a) really can't read NT Greek, i.e. recognize
at sight the inflected forms of verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs,
and (b) can't cope with a lexicon that lays out the full range of
potential meanings of Greek words but must rely instead upon someone
else's selection from a short list of glosses in what is just about
the weakest of all lexical aids available for study of the GNT, and
(c) doesn't need a grammar, because it is assumed that the single-word
glosses and parsing of words is sufficient to yield the literal
meaning of the Greek text. I suppose there's something satisfying
about the lack of any critical apparatus too: it relieves the reader
from the uncomfortable notion that the Greek text he or she is looking
at is something other than an editorial composite of manuscript
evidence. I'd have to say that I think an interlinear would be more
immediately useful for the person who can't really read NT Greek or
cope with a real lexicon."
> I used to use it only for looking up the citations on B-Greek
> because I
> found the transliteration hard to read. (I haven't used it for quite a
> while but can't bring myself to throwing it out. I find it hard to
> throw away, something I paid money for ;) ) Unless I were to use a
> card or something to cover the English, I can't read the Greek without
> seeing the English and reading like that is an exercise in futility.
> I do make use of "Refresh your Greek." I use it in church with joy.
> I have tried to read without using any aid what-so-ever but there are
> too many passages where I would completely lose the thread of the
> passage. I found that that resulted in reading bits and pieces without
> context: Not very helpful in trying to figure out the unfamiliar
> vocabulary. There are many passages I can read without any help,
> without effort even, but there are even more of them where I do need
> help. I make use of BDAG as well but I do not take it to church with
> me. I can see the benefit of a diglot but it I also see a disadvantage
> that something like "Reader's Edition GNT" and " Refresh your Greek"
> doesn't have. Even though the latter two give some glosses, they do
> not regurgitate it and spit out a sentence. That is something I have
> to do. It is simpler to read the GNT if you have an English
> translation laying next to it, than if all you have is some help with
> a few words.
If I may again put my words in context, here's the final paragraph of
the message to which Bert is responding:
On Nov 21, 2007, at 8:56 AM, Carl Conrad wrote:
> I'm aware and I (grudgingly, of course) accept the proposition that
> some learners find the interlinears really helpful and really do move
> on beyond them to reading the Greek text without that crutch, but I
> would still say that the diglot is more likely to fill that need for
> an intermediate reader of the GNT.
My complaint regarding interlinears has to do with their continued
abuse as a crutch; for those students who can make use of them and
discard them when they no longer need them, they may supply a useful
service. As for books that have outlived their usefulness for me, I
don't feel that much pain in discarding them. In retirement I find my
bookshelves really cramped, and I'm finding it a healthy exercise to
do a little triage on my collection fairly often.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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