[B-Greek] Attic Modern Phrase Book

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Mon Aug 24 07:51:22 EDT 2009


On Aug 24, 2009, at 1:55 AM, Louis Sorenson wrote:

>
> I just ran across Sprechen Sie Attisch? Moderne Konversation in  
> altgriechischer Umgangsprache by  E. Johannides.  (pseud of Eduard  
> Johnson. biographical note here), 1901. It is available on Google  
> Books.  Has anyone seen this? Looks interesting for those trying to  
> use ancient Greek in conversation. It is Attic-based, not Koine.
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=21oQAAAAYAAJ

Ach du lieber Herr Gott! This really IS what the ravenous Poe terms "a  
quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore." Printed in the primeval  
Fraktur that renders so many ancient German literary editions such a  
challenge to the novice -- but fascinating. And this goes all the way  
back to the early years of the twentieth century, and it demonstrates  
that these ancient pedagogues who learned and taught their ancient  
Greek in the Gymnasia of Bismarck's Germany must have internalized  
their Greek. Did they actually speak it conversationally in the  
classroom? These dialogues seem to indicate that they could have,  
whether or not they did. They remind me of the work of Phrynicus who  
advised his students not to imitate the corrupt Umgangsgriechisch of  
his own day but to write and speak the pure Attic of centuries gone by.

I  think this is a very ineresting model. The German versions are  
sophisticated, readily showing the difference between the woodenly- 
literal target-language equivalent and the idiomatic equivalent in the  
target language -- one can discern not only the intended sense but  
also the intended intonation of each utterance. I wabt to try to  
illustrate this by rewriting a snippet from the Johnson work into  
idiomatic English conversation:

===
42. A Tale

He: ἄκουσον, ὦ γύναι, λόγον σοι βούλομαι  
λέξαι χαριέντα
[AKOUSON, W GUNAI, LOGON SOI BOULOMAI LEXAI CARIENTA]
Listen, my dear, I have a charming tale I want to tell you.

She: ἴθι δὴ, λέξον [IQI DH, LEXON]
So tell it then.

He: τί λέγεις [TI LEGEIS?]
What do you mean?

She: οὐ πείθομαι [OU PEIQOMAI!]
I don’t believe you!

He: εἴπερ ὄντως σὺ ταῦτ’ ἀληθῆ  
λέγεις, οὐδὲν ἔχω εἰπεῖν
[EIPER ONTWS SU TAUT' ALHQH LEGEIS, OUDEN ECW EIPEIN]
If that’s what you really think, there’s nothing I can say.

She: κατὰ τὸν λόγον ὂν σὺ λέγεις, ἀξία  
ἐστὶ θαυμάσαι
[KATA TON LOGON ON SU LEGEIS, AXIA ESTI QAUMASAI]
 From what you say, it’s marvelous!

Another: λέγ’ αὐτῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα [LEG' AUTHi TO PRAGMA]
Tell her what it is.

She: φράζειν [FRAZEIN]
Come on, out with it!

Another: τί πρὸς ταὐτα εἶπεν [TI PROS TAUTA EIPEN?]
What’s his answer to that?

She: προφασίζεται
[PROFASIZETAI]
He’s making excuses.

He: μῦθον ὑμῖν βοθλομαι λέξαι οὕτως
[MUQON hUMIN BOQLOMAI LEXAI hOUTWS]
Here’s the story I want to tell you.
=========

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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