Re: Request for study recommendations.

From: Craig R. Harmon (revcraigh@netzero.net)
Date: Sun May 14 2000 - 10:40:52 EDT


Dear Pete,

What you hope to attain (reading NT Greek with as little thought in
English) is indeed possible, but it probably will not come as
quickly in Greek as it did in Spanish, especially if you had real
Spanish speaking people with whom to converse. That kind of
immersion just cannot be obtained in a language that no one speaks as a
living language. It is possible that some of the taped
lessons that have been spoken of on this forum could help there.
Otherwise, reading as much as possible is the ticket.

For me, making a conscious attempt not to mentally translate the Greek
into English as I read really helped. Doing this 'almost
audible' internal translation will slow down the process that you hope
to achieve. Also, avoid interlinears like the plague.

To acquire vocabulary, I have found this helpful. First, don't
immediately run to the lexicon; try figuring the unknown word out
first from the context of the known words. Second, check your guess with
a Lexicon (I like Danker's Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New
Testament; it's concise and quicker to thumb through to the word you
want than the larger BAG). Third, write the word out on one
side of a 3x5 card (or something smaller that is convenient to carry
with you in a shirt pocket) and the translations on the other
side. Fourth, keep these cards with you and review them in spare moments
several times a day until you know that you know what its
meanings in various contexts are.

Regarding 3 & 4, there are computer programs that review NT Greek words
and their meanings, but these aren't always available when
you have free time to review. I believe that there are pre-printed
flash cards available for NT Greek also, but I like the idea of
writing them out myself. I become a little more involved.

As you acquire a greater vocabulary and avoid mental translation as you
read, you will eventually find yourself thinking in Greek.
Give it time though. Don't become quickly frustrated. Read and review,
read and review ...

It never hurts to pray that the Spirit assist you in your endeavors. God
bless your studies that they bear much fruit for you and
your students.

Craig
_____________________________________________
NetZero - Defenders of the Free World
Click here for FREE Internet Access and Email
http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html

---
B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek
You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu
To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu




This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:36:25 EDT