[B-Greek] Koine Kasruth (Especially Keyboards)

Randall Buth randallbuth at gmail.com
Fri Apr 22 07:21:39 EDT 2011


shalom DeWayne,

you might be surprised how close we are to each other.

>Randall, and Jason, while I respect what you're saying about reasons
for using the native keyboards, ...
>
> 1) The native keyboards (Greek and Israeli Hebrew were primarily, I
suspect, created for typing the modern forms of the languages, for
everyday communication, not for scholarly/religious use, and not,
primarily, for typing the ancient languages. (If I'm wrong about the
reasons for their creation, fine, but I expect not.)>

Your first point may actually support my point. You are describing a
perceived distance when there isn't any. Both typewriter layouts
are over a hundred years old, and the Greek one was done when
polytonic was the norm. You're making a point that scholarly /
religious use is 'different' from the language community so their
keyboard is not germane. That is the subliminal distinction that I'm
talking about.


>2) Perhaps there is not the distance-putting you might think (I
certainly intend none), as when I use the keyboards I mentioned, I am
using them to type in Koine/Attic and in Biblical, not Modern, Hebrew.>

Again, this enunciates a perceived difference that is probably stronger
than those within the language communities when they write the
old language. PS: In scholarly Hebrew writing it is common to cite
the Biblical text as is, unvocalized.

> I don't see any distance-putting there.

Good.
There shouldn't be. But plugging into a national keyboard underlines
the commonality for the student and reminds them that they are
joining a long, historical, language community. They are the
outsider joining the community.

...

> I also agree with Carl Conrad about the Greek usage needing to
include everyday language, and not conforming slavishly to some
arbitrary standard. >

We are all agreed here. I am happy with anything, and enjoy Chariton
and the novelists along with Plutarch, even the anthologists.
In saying this, I still look for the 'koine constellation', since that
relates to my scholarly interests. Lucian is great, too, though I
wouldn't emulate his 'Syrian Goddess', what a piece of art!

PS for Carl:
the LXX project will be housed in Strassbourg and published
by Mohr-Siebeck last I heard.

...

> It's a marvelous adventure. And even though I prefer the Modern
Greek accent (I switched last year from Erasmian), >

congratulations, not a bad choice. Come to SBL and you can hear
it debated and defended this Nov.

> speaking in Ancient Greek in any accent, even Erasmian
(no offense, Markos) is better than not speaking it at all,
in my view.>

Absolutely spot on.

I only raise the points because many who start out on this path
seem to think that they should reinforce their status quo rather
than consider where they would like to end up down the road or
what they may end up sounding like. Starting on the path is a
good time to reconsider things, as you demonstrate above. At
the end of process is not a good time for raising a question.

ERRWSO
IWANHS


--
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicallanguagecenter.com
Biblical Language Center
Learn Easily - Progress Further - Remember for Life



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