[B-Greek] Greek NT Audio

Barry nebarry at verizon.net
Mon Oct 6 17:24:21 EDT 2008


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leonard Jayawardena" <leonardj at live.com>
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: <llsorenson at hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 6:59 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Greek NT Audio


>
> Louis Sorenson wrote:
>
> "Your arguments for using Erasmian pronunciation are pedagogically 
> utilitarian.  While there are early gains in learning spelling, the 
> long-term consequences are that such an approach short-changes the student 
> who wants to go further. It puts on them a huge burden if they ever want 
> to learn historical pronunciation and reap the benefits derived from 
> reading the NT as it sounded."
>
> (1) Could you please expand on your statement "While there are early gains 
> in learning spelling, the long-term consequences are that such an approach 
> short-changes the student who wants to go further" with practical examples 
> showing how the student is short-changed?
>
> (2) What are the benefits derived from reading the NT as it sounded? Can 
> you provide at least two solid examples to illustrate your point?
>
> (3) Does using the assumed historical pronunciation help us to understand 
> the message of the NT better? An example?

I'd also like to see these questions answered.

In my own experience, I had an American Classics professor for my first 
Greek class (Jay Freyman, of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, 
Amehurst undergrad and UPenn Ph.D.).  He initially taught us both Erasmean 
and modern pronunciation, and then cheerfully proceeded after that class to 
use Erasmean with some "historically correct" modifications (especially in 
his pronunciation of diphtongs).  It worked nicely.  I also got to know 
several Greek nationals while in college (who also taught me some, shall we 
say, "earthy modern Greek" expressions that were probably old when Homer was 
a lad), and then later served as sort of pastoral intern in a Greek 
Evangelical church meeting in Upper Darby, PA.  Seriously, it couldn't have 
taken me more than a few minutes to learn modern Greek pronunciation, and a 
few hours practice really  to "get it."  Having learned and practiced 
Erasmean in class didn't hurt me a bit.

I fully agree that language is of such a nature that the spoken is primary, 
and we must be able to have some sort of pronunciation to master any 
language, living or ancient (over and over again I have see that students 
who pronounce correctly tend to read and translate correctly).  But I 
personally think "historically accurate" vs. "Erasmean" vs. "Modern" is a 
bunch of hooey.  Use whatever pronunciation you want for the ancient, and 
then if you want to learn modern, go play pool with some Greeks or get some 
recordings or whatever to get the pronunciation down, and go for it.  I 
don't need to use Shakespearean pronunciation to enjoy Hamlet, and I'm not 
worried how James the First of England uttered his declamations.

Of course, I am an absolute fanatic for using the "classical" pronunication 
of Latin ("No hard c's!  Those v's are pronounced like w's!"), but that's 
different, you know.

N.E. Barry Hofstetter

Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te...
    -- Augustine, Confessions 1:1

http://mysite.verizon.net/nebarry/
http://my.opera.com/BarryHofstetter/blog/ 




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