Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting.

Semantic Range, Lexicography, and other approaches to word meaning - in general, or for particular words.
Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting.

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Have I understood this "sequence of events" correctly?
  • κοιμᾶσθαι - to lie down to sleep
  • ἀφυπνοῦν - fall asleep
  • ὑπνοῦν - (be a)sleep (= not be conscious)
  • καθεύδειν - (lie there) sleep(ing)
  • ἐξυπνίζειν - wake up (= become conscious again)
  • ἐγείρεσθαι - to rise (from the pillow or bed)
  • ἀναστῆναι - to stand up
Does "work" and "rest" fit in to that list or do they belong to a different semantic chain?
  • κοπιᾷν - work hard (tire oneself out with work)
  • ἀναπαύειν - take a rest
Those things being probable, the REAL question that I'm wondering about is whether ἀγρυπνεῖν (a word with a seemingly positive connotation in the NT at least) or γρηγορῆσαι (perhaps with a negative connotation) is the antonym of the (presumably) voluntary act of κοιμᾶσθαι or the (seemingly) involuntary act of ἀφυπνοῦν (both of which would normally have a positive connotation) and how the structuring of its antonym(s) affect our understanding of what Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemene.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
RandallButh
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Joined: May 13th, 2011, 4:01 am

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by RandallButh »

διεγερθῆναι διεγείρεσθαι should be added to the list. It would belong between ἐξυπνισθῆναι and ἐγερθῆναι.
The verb διεγερθῆναι would imply both ἐξυπνισθῆναι and ἐγερθῆναι, though it can also be used in metaphorical contexts of natural and mental excitement.
When I get up in the morning I say to myself διηγέρθην, though simple ἠγέρθην also works.
RandallButh
Posts: 1105
Joined: May 13th, 2011, 4:01 am

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by RandallButh »

PS
I didn't see your last paragraph until after posting from the 'daily summary'. I think that ἀγρυπεῖν has something of a meaning/connotation 'to be forcefully awake', like something for drivers who are avoiding to pull over to the side of the road for a power nap. γρηγορῆσαι γρηγορεῖν is more of the state of being awake and watchful.
Paul-Nitz
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Joined: June 1st, 2011, 4:19 am
Location: Sussex, Wisconsin

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by Paul-Nitz »

Stephen, I like this. If I can find time, I will learn/internalize this chain. Create more!
I've rewritten the list for my own sake and provide it here for what it's worth.

I want to distinguish between κοιμασθῆναι and καθεύδειν.
I'm thinking of κοιμαθῆναι in terms of κοίτη and κεῖσθαι = "to lie down in bed."
Whereas, I'm thinking of καθεύδειν in terms of ευδειν κατα, ευδία (good calm weather) = be lying still.
τί δοκεῖ σοι; Does that work?


κοιμαθῆναι κοιμᾶσθαι - to lie down to sleep
ἀφυπνῶσαι ἀφυπνοῦν - fall asleep
ὑπνῶσαι ὑπνοῦν - (be a)sleep (= not be conscious)
καθεύδειν - (lie there) sleep(ing). No Aorist in Attic.
ἐξυπνισθῆναι ἐξυπνίζειν - wake up (= become conscious again)
διεγερθῆναι διεγείρεσθαι – both ἐξυπνισθῆναι and ἐγερθῆναι
ἐγερθῆναι ἐγείρεσθαι - to rise (from the pillow or bed)
ἀναστῆναι ἀνίστασθαι - to stand up
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
Stephen Hughes
Posts: 3323
Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Fleming's VA(R)K model and implicit acquisition

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Paul-Nitz wrote: If I can find time, I will learn/internalize this chain.
When you are thinking about how to "internalise" this and other lexical chains (sequence of events that flow from one to another that may be stated or unstated in a narrative), there are two things that I think are worth thinking about.

First, you may want to consider your learning style when you are designing a way to to that best. As a teacher you would have to design activities for all three learning styles - like a chef has their own way of cooking at home, but has to cater to customers' tastes at work.

Here are a few VAK quizes to test your own style of learning...
Brainbox (UK)
JCU quiz (Aus)

And here are a few VARK (an extension of VAK by separating Reading and writing from the general visual category) quizes if you would like to try them too...
VARK learn (US)
VARK learn too (US)

[For me, in either a VAK or VARK quiz, I score all "K"s.]

To make use of the data that you gather (for yourself and your students), you could consider adapting / adopting some of the approaches mentioned...
VARK modalities and Multimodality (US)
JCU teachers' guide (AUS)

If you have some learners who just don't seem to get it, it may be that they have a preference for a particulary sensory input that they are not getting enough of. For that, you could try I'm different; not dumb: Modes of presentation (VARK) in the tertiary classroom. Once students have gotten adequate sensory input, they will be able to process the new information internally and work it out.

Second, you can consider that 85 or 90% of the vocabulary that you know in English has been acquired implicitly, through life and our wide reading. Learning this (and other) lexical chains by drills is not a natural way to increase one's vocabulary. Concentrating on the vocabulary discussing the lexical chain in abstraction (like I am doing in this thread) is perhaps not the best way to emmulate that natural acquisition process.
Paul-Nitz wrote:Create more!
I'm finding that the text-embedded vocabulary instruction works best when it is constructed around lexical chains. If you have any suggestions about which lexical chains are in (and useful for understanding) the Sermon on the Mount or the Matthean Passion Narrative, I'd appreciate that.

You are sharing your knowledge of Greek with ordinands who will have to use the language in a specific homoletic and apologetic ways during their ministry, giving them the chance to learn chains - the "language" (lexical sets / chains) behind the language (individual words - the way vocabulary is presented for the most part in Greek) that they will be using professionally. I'm aiming at a non-professional audience, so just being able to read the Sermon on the Mount, the Passion Narrative and a popular Psalm (in Greek) with 95% vocabulary recognition is about all I'm aiming for with the implicit text-embedded vocabulary acquisition stuff (and hence the lexical chains / sets) at the moment.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Paul-Nitz
Posts: 497
Joined: June 1st, 2011, 4:19 am
Location: Sussex, Wisconsin

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by Paul-Nitz »

Stephen Hughes wrote:You are sharing your knowledge of Greek with ordinands who will have to use the language in a specific homoletic and apologetic ways during their ministry, giving them the chance to learn chains - the "language" (lexical sets / chains) behind the language (individual words - the way vocabulary is presented for the most part in Greek) that they will be using professionally.
Oops. Nobody ever told me to teach my students professional usage of the language. Too late now. I guess they'll have to be satisfied with understanding the language of the NT better.
Stephen Hughes wrote: If you have any suggestions about which lexical chains are in (and useful for understanding) the Sermon on the Mount or the Matthean Passion Narrative,
I quickly sorted out some verbs from Matt 26:36 - 27:56. Does this help?

ἐνδύω --- ἐνέδυσαν --- Matthew 27:31
περιτίθημι --- περιέθηκαν --- Matthew 27:28
ἐκδύω --- ἐξέδυσαν --- Matthew 27:31
--- ---
ἀναβοάω --- ἀνεβόησεν --- Matthew 27:46
κράζω --- ἔκραζον --- Matthew 27:23
φωνέω --- ἐφώνησεν --- Matthew 26:74
ἀποκρίνομαι --- ἀποκρίνῃ --- Matthew 26:62
καλέω --- ἐκλήθη --- Matthew 27:8
καταμαρτυρέω --- καταμαρτυροῦσιν --- Matthew 26:62
κλαίω --- ἔκλαυσεν --- Matthew 26:75
λέγω --- λέγω --- Matthew 26:64
οἶδα --- ᾔδει --- Matthew 27:18
ὁράω --- ὄψῃ --- Matthew 27:4
προσέρχομαι --- προσῆλθεν --- Matthew 26:69
σιωπάω --- ἐσιώπα --- Matthew 26:63
φημί --- ἔφη --- Matthew 27:23
ἐπερωτάω --- ἐπηρώτησεν --- Matthew 27:11
δοκέω --- δοκεῖς --- Matthew 26:53
κατακρίνω --- κατεκρίθη --- Matthew 27:3
--- ---
πείθω --- ἔπεισαν --- Matthew 27:20
φοβέω --- ἐφοβήθησαν --- Matthew 27:54
πιστεύω --- πιστεύσομεν --- Matthew 27:42
ἀπαρνέομαι --- ἀπαρνήσῃ --- Matthew 26:75
ἀρνέομαι --- ἠρνήσατο --- Matthew 26:70
--- ---
ἀκολουθέω --- ἠκολούθει --- Matthew 26:58
ἐξορκίζω --- ἐξορκίζω --- Matthew 26:63
κρατέω --- ἐκρατήσατέ --- Matthew 26:55
ἀγγαρεύω --- ἠγγάρευσαν --- Matthew 27:32
--- ---
τιμάω --- ἐτιμήσαντο --- Matthew 27:9
ἀγοράζω --- ἠγόρασαν --- Matthew 27:7
--- ---
παραδίδωμι --- παρέδωκαν --- Matthew 27:2
πάσχω --- ἔπαθον --- Matthew 27:19
πίπτω --- ἔπεσεν --- Matthew 26:39
--- ---
στρέφω --- ἔστρεψεν --- Matthew 27:3
συνάγω --- συνήγαγον --- Matthew 27:27
φεύγω --- ἔφυγον --- Matthew 26:56
ἐγγίζω --- ἤγγικεν --- Matthew 26:46
ἐγκαταλείπω --- ἐγκατέλιπες --- Matthew 27:46
εἰσέρχομαι --- εἰσῆλθον --- Matthew 27:53
--- ---
τηρέω --- ἐτήρουν --- Matthew 27:36
ἐμπαίζω --- ἐνέπαιξαν --- Matthew 27:31
ἐμπτύω --- ἐνέπτυσαν --- Matthew 26:67
καταφιλέω --- κατεφίλησεν --- Matthew 26:49
κολαφίζω --- ἐκολάφισαν --- Matthew 26:67
ὀνειδίζω --- ὠνείδιζον --- Matthew 27:44
ῥαπίζω --- ἐράπισαν --- Matthew 26:67
σταυρόω --- σταυροῦνται --- Matthew 27:38
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

The next steps in constructing Lexical sets of verbs

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Paul-Nitz wrote:I quickly sorted out some verbs from Matt 26:36 - 27:56. Does this help?

ἐνδύω --- ἐνέδυσαν --- Matthew 27:31
...
Yes. There will be a few more steps after this:
  • The next step is to go through Louw & Nida for each of the possible chains.
  • The third step would be to think about what is (logically) missing from the set.
  • The fourth is to look in Woodhouse (Attic) and the τριανταφυλλίδης λεξικό (Modern Greek) for possible things to fill in the gap. This is quite time consuming.
  • The fifth is to check whether those possible words were used in the Koine period. This basically involves looking at the LSJ entry on Perseus and seeing which authours are quoted. It is a rough-shod approach at best.
  • The sixth is to try to work out the possible relationships between the words by considering the contexts which they are used in, especially when when they are used together. This is a text-intensive stage with the most creative input from the compiler.
What, of course, is missing from all of this is the added dimensionality of the other parts of speech - neither collocations nor related words are included yet. That means that the relatedness and flexibility of the language have not been added to the vocabulary learning yet. That is because I'm intending to embed the verbs into the structured diglot-weave first and then to add the collocated nouns next.

People who have written about these things (but whose papers are still in one of my suitcases) say that nouns are the easiest type of vocabulary to acquire, and so my initial reaction was to think of introducing the nouns first, that was because I had assumed that the first step would be the most difficult. Upon rethinking, however, the second step, using a Greek verb in collocation with an unknown noun and asking learners to deduce the meaning from reading would be a more difficult step, and would perhaps be made more simple by letting the most readily acquired part of speech be introduced then.

Effective vocabulary teaching teaches meaning, relatedness and flexibility. If the L2 embedded in an L1 context diglot-weave really is something that can be introduced in a production model for beginning students to effectively and rapidly acquire vocabulary, it would have to offer a better learning experience that what is currently offered by the rote-learning of individual words that is the mainstay of current advice for learning vocabulary.

Of course there is nothing wrong with rote learning - I have been doing it for decades and have learnt many words. It is however completely not what I did with English. I can't think of more than a handful of English words that I learnt by memorising the word and its definition in parrot form, and by now, I have forgotten even those ones. It is something like the punishment that students have to do to write things out 100 times to placate a teacher's wrath. The very mind-numbing nature of rote learning vocabulary is a great stress-relief / management technique and I wouldn't want to deny any student a way to fall asleep or reduce brain activity to a minimum.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Paul-Nitz
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Joined: June 1st, 2011, 4:19 am
Location: Sussex, Wisconsin

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by Paul-Nitz »

Stephen Hughes wrote:There will be a few more steps after this
Considering how time consuming it would be to follow those steps, would it not work to simply take a set of related verbs, perhaps adding a few more from the LXX/NT, and write simple stories using those verbs. It should be possible to also use most other parts of speech from the LXX/NT. Would the end result be the same?
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
Stephen Hughes
Posts: 3323
Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Using Louw and Nida uncritically would be easy

Post by Stephen Hughes »

To keep the idea of lexical sets, and to reduce the work, the very easiest way of doing it would be to use Louw and Nida uncritically and just take the words that they have grouped together and embed them in an English story. It would make vocabulary learning implicit, which is a big aim, it would teach a subset of relatedness, but would not teach flexibility.

The least work of all would be to take the Greek words that students would need to learn and embed them. That would facilitate rote learning, but wouldn't teach either the inherent relatedness or derivational morphological flexibility of the language. The other type of flexibility - conjugations and declensions are best taught in other ways, I think.

Whatever limited aims are chosen, I think there would be some gains in vocabulary learning. The only essential guideline for the method seems to be to put the hints before the word is introduced - the learning moves from what is known (the English) to what is unknown (the Greek). Eg.
  • The dog was angry and SNARLED at the man. The sound of its snarl frightened him.
    RATHER THAN
  • The dog SNARLED at the man because it was angry. Its SNARL was a sound that frightened him.
I realise that that is counter-intuitive for people who are used to seeing a word followed by its gloss. It is about building up a context for understanding before the thing that needs to be understood is introduced - vocabulary learning training wheels. We who are making it, of course, get our understanding from reading widely in the NT texts. Vocabulary learning is a major reason that learners never take off with their Greek.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Paul-Nitz
Posts: 497
Joined: June 1st, 2011, 4:19 am
Location: Sussex, Wisconsin

Re: Lexical chains. Sleeping and waking, working and resting

Post by Paul-Nitz »

As far as giving clues, how about establishing meanings with a set form like forcing the next new word to be the last in the previous sentence? I'm not trying to follow any semantic domain here, I'm trying to use different declensions.
  • Today I rode a horse.
    ὁ ἵππος threw me out of his saddle today when I was riding with my sister.
    ἡ ἀδελφή of me was not thrown out of the saddle, but there was a child with us.
    τὸ τέκνον almost got thrown off, but was saved by a certain man.
    ὁ ἄνηρ came alongside the child and saved it. His mother was happy.
    ἡ μήτηρ thanked the man profusely and gave him some food.
    τὸ βρώματα was a very nice fruitcake she happened to have in her purse.
With the meaning established, you can get more loose.
  • The saddle τοῦ ἵππου was hard so that the body τῆς ἀδελφής of me was sore. I bet the mother τοῦ τέκνου was really worried. Good thing the man came along. The smile τοῦ ἀνδρός was broad when he began eating the fruitcake τῆς μητρός. The sharing τοῦ βρώματος can create friendships.
Yes, vocabulary is important. And I like this idea for learning vocabulary. But, just to pick a fight, I think structure (including morphology) is what really gets in the way of taking off in Greek. That nonsense sentence (quoted in Funk’s intro) shows it to me “Woogles uggled doogles.” Adding real meaning to those nonsense words is easy, if you are well acquainted with English structure/forms. And in my own current learning, I’m finding that adding vocabulary through reading is very easy, now that I really know my forms and structures.

Bear with me. Try this sentence out. The verbs and nouns are nonsense but the forms and structure are Greek. What can a person figure out in this sentence?


ὀνάνων τὸν γάρα ὁ μιπάκος ἐταμάγγασεν ὑπὸ τῆς μιτέκῆς.
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
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