[B-Greek] Top Ten Things that B-Greekers will be giving up this year for Lent

Sarah Madden sarah.r.madden at gmail.com
Sun Feb 14 23:52:40 EST 2010


Steve --
I don't know if there are "secret societies of interlinear readers," as you
posited, but my experience with interlinears is negative: I've been learning
Greek since 2000, and have been tutoring grad students for a number of
years. I never even glanced at an interlinear until last year when I saw
someone's copy. These books probably have their place, but certainly not for
a beginning student who is trying to learn Greek.

For example, one of the students I tutored over the years continued to have
great difficulty understanding Greek or being able to read and understand
passages. After taking several different Greek courses, he still would ask
questions that a first-semester student would have already known. He finally
admitted sheepishly that he had been using an interlinear all those years.
Since he had never worked through the passages himself, he could not pick up
a plain Greek text (even simple stuff) and just read it.

At the church I attend, we have a number of seminary students, graduates and
professors as members and/or clergy, so Biblical languages are an important
thing at that church. Haven't heard any of the seminary students talk kindly
about interlinears.

Sarah ><>
(aka Hawkeye Pierce)
2010/2/14 Stephen Baldwin <stbaldwi at hotmail.com>

>
> OK KURIOS FWS
> Since I've been b-greeking, I was initially curious about the interlinear
> debate -- pros and cons and etc. latterly baffled at the high level of
> anxiety [almost verging on hysteria?] that the subject generates.
>
> In my 46 years in the Lord's Church I:
> 1. have sadly met very few people, lay or clergy who are much interested in
> the Biblical languages
> 2. Don't know anyone other than me who owns an interlinear
> 3. Have never seen anyone using an interlinear, or admit to using one
> [maybe that's the rub].
>
> Maybe I don't mix in the right circles. Maybe there are secret societies of
> interlinear readers...
>
> THEREFORE
> My revised No 10: Talking about interlinears
> ;-)
>
> Steve Baldwin
> stbaldwi at hotmail.com
>
>



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