[B-Greek] relative value of re-reading the Greek NT versusfollowing the advice of Conrad and Buth

Kevin Riley klriley at alphalink.com.au
Sun Feb 24 19:08:37 EST 2008


 
This sounds remarkably like the effort required to master the literature in
any academic discipline in English - or whatever one's native language is. 
Just when you believe you have mastered it, you pick up a book - or even a
brief article - written by someone who takes a different theoretical
approach and so uses words differently, and you are back to checking on the
meaning of words again because the context has changed.  To use works from
another discipline makes the effort needed even more obvious.  I mention
this only to make the point that the hard work is not a function inherent
only in learning a dead language, but in learning any language well - even
the language we all think we  understand because we have spoken it all our
lives.
 
Kevin Riley
 
-------Original Message------- 
 
From: Carl Conrad 
Date: 24/02/2008 11:37:40 PM 
 
I won't try to respond to Mark Lightman's message in toto, but I might 
Offer a comment or two on the fundamental question: 
(1) I don't really believe that it takes an earthquake or a mutation 
To give one a real mastery of Greek; what it takes is more intense and 
Sustained effort on the part of one endeavoring to achieve it. But 
Even that effort must be methodical rather than haphazard. I've 
Described my own process of slogging through Homer hour after hour, 
Night after night, and the exhilaration upon coming, eventually, to 
Reading line after line of text -- not so much effortlessly, as 
Confidently and with understanding. I think that one must do this 
Slogging with each new author one tackles, to some extent -- 
Particularly an author with a distinctive style and a distinctive 
Lexical range. And, as I've said recently with regard to use of the 
Lexicon while reading, one needs to take pains with lexicon entries 
And not just scan them quickly for the gloss that will permit one to 
Go on with the passage currently being read: one needs to take pains 
With the recurrent words that have significant nuances in different 
Contexts. As for the reading itself, I remain convinced that the more 
One keeps reading Greek that is unfamiliar or less familiar, the 
Better equipped one will be to come back and read the GNT again. 
 



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