[B-Greek] David Black on learning Greek

Mark Lightman lightmanmark at yahoo.com
Fri Oct 1 19:35:10 EDT 2010


I'm with Michael L. on this one.  I think Ancient Greek is a very difficult 
language to learn.  The only way you could prove this is to get a representative 
sample of people from around the world, say about 10,000 of them, and ask them 
to all learn the same ten languages, in different orders, and then ask them to 
rank them.  I think if you did this, Greek would rank among the most difficult.

Failing this, all you have is anecdotal evidence.  But lots of people have 
studied both Hebrew and Greek on the one hand, and Greek and Latin on the other 
hand, and is there not a consensus that Hebrew is much easier, and Latin at 
least a little easier, than Greek?

I don't think Greek is hard because we don't teach it correctly.  I don't think 
it is hard because we don't expend enough time and effort.  I think it is hard 
because of the accents, because of  the word order, because it is hard to figure 
out what goes with what, because the vocabulary is large, because there is over 
lap in the endings, because you have so many ways you can form a genitive, 
because of the elipses, because the default meaning of many verbs is transitive 
whereas the default meaning of the English counterparts are often intransitive, 
because you have to deal with dialectical variances, because simple finite verbs 
are easier than infinitive and participle constructions, because because 
because.

It's probably true that a child can learn any language just as easy as any 
other, but maybe Greek is the exception that proves the rule.  What's the 
easiest thing written in Greek?  The LXX, right?  It is easy in exactly the 
places where it is not Greek.

I agree with David Black's other twelve points. 

 Mark L



FWSFOROS MARKOS




________________________________
From: George F Somsel <gfsomsel at yahoo.com>
To: Michael Lawson <dikaiosune_7 at msn.com>; James Spinti 
<JSpinti at Eisenbrauns.com>
Cc: b-greek  <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 2:23:07 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] David Black on learning Greek

Au contraire, Pierre.  Greek is not difficult to learn, but it does require 
effort.  That is, special intellectual abilities are not necessary.  Even the 
little children learned to speak Greek (standard joke).  For us, however, it 
does require some perspiration.  If you aren't willing to expend the effort, you 

will not learn it, but if you do expend the effort, even a child can learn 
Greek.
 george
gfsomsel 


… search for truth, hear truth, 
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


- Jan Hus
_________ 




________________________________
From: Michael Lawson <dikaiosune_7 at msn.com>
To: James Spinti <JSpinti at Eisenbrauns.com>
Cc: b-greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 10:57:14 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] David Black on learning Greek

David Black says,

<6. Greek is not difficult to learn. I'll say it again: Greek is not difficult 
to learn. I like to tell my students, "Greek is an easy language; it's us Greek 
teachers who get in the way." The point is that anyone can learn Greek, even a 
poorly-educated surfer from Hawaii. If I can master Greek, anyone can!>

Now, a view from a student of the Greek language.

Greek is difficult to learn. I'll say it again: Greek is difficult to learn. I 
would like to tell those Greek teachers out there, "Greek is a difficult 
language; Greek teachers help sometimes in explaining things if you can find  
one 

to ask who has the patience but its still difficult." The poorly-educated surfer 

from Hawaii would rather surf than write out a verb conjugation chart for sure. 
But, to be fair to David Black, I believe his point is that any surfer is 
capable of learning a "little Greek"; mastering it requires more than average 
intelligence and more ambition than meets the average surfer who wants to surf 
the big waves. 


Michael Lawson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: James Spinti<mailto:JSpinti at Eisenbrauns.com> 
  To: B-Greek List mail to all<mailto:b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org> 
  Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 11:49 AM
  Subject: [B-Greek] David Black on learning Greek


  I haven't seen  this posted here yet, but David Black has a "13 things
  your Greek teacher won't tell you" posted on his non-blog. Here's the
  link to Rod Decker's quoting of it (so you can find it):
  http://ntresources.com/blog/?p=1020<http://ntresources.com/blog/?p=1020>

  Enjoy,
  James
  ________________________________
  James Spinti
  Marketing Director, Book Sales Division
  Eisenbrauns, Good books for more than 35 years
  Specializing in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
  jspinti at eisenbrauns dot com
  Web: http://www.eisenbrauns.com<http://www.eisenbrauns.com/>
  Phone: 574-269-2011 ext 226
  Fax: 574-269-6788 
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