[B-Greek] language pronunciation
Ian W. Scott
iscott at tyndale.ca
Mon May 4 10:06:15 EDT 2009
One important reason I can think of for trying to use an historically
accurate pronunciation is the crucial role sound often played in ancient
language. Rhyming, assonance, alliteration, the use of similar-sounding
words as (almost) catch-word connectors, are all used by the New
Testament authors (for example) as communicative strategies. (They are
certainly discussed in ancient stylistic and rhetorical manuals). It
seems to me that the current renewed sensitivity to both the aesthetic
dimensions of biblical Greek and to rhetoric should bring along with
them a concern to hear such phonological devices. But if we are using an
anachronistic pronunciation we will completely miss many of them. We
would miss, for example, the aural connection (on Buth's reconstructed
pronunciation) between LYEIN and PRIN.
I think our lack of interest in this aural dimension of the text
reflects a sort of scholastic habit of treating the Greek of the NT as a
sort of code for logical propositions rather than as a language. As for
students' responses to a more "difficult" pronunciation, I also find
that what often engages students is the aesthetic and phonological
dimension of the GNT. It's often hard to explain to a student why they
should learn the language when they can "look it all up in BibleWorks"
if we're focused on decoding the straightforward "meaning" of the text.
If they begin to hear, though, the hymnic lilt of Col 1:15ff. they
quickly realize at a gut level that a language is more than a platform
for word-studies.
Cheers,
Ian
Ian W. Scott
iscott at tyndale.ca
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