[B-Greek] Greek NT audio

Randall Buth randallbuth at gmail.com
Sat Sep 20 17:02:29 EDT 2008


On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 7:19 PM, Mark Lightman <lightmanmark at yahoo.com> wrote:
> David,
>
> I too thank you for the post. To me the eta sounds like a short English e
> as in pet.  Randall would know better but I'm not sure there is any evidence
> for eta being pronounced thus, and it is pretty distracting.

There is evidence for HTA being pronounced as a long-timed version of
'e' in pet in the fifth century BCE. But the guy was not reading
long-vowels and short vowels. So it is just accidental. And certainly
not KOINH. And Pennington is not KOINH either.

> . . .
> If Randall is advising us to wait until we have more perfect NT Greek to
> listen to I suspect we will be waiting a while.

There are well-read materials available, though they cost money.

> . . .
> I know about the studies that stress the importance of audio
> learning, but in my case I suspect that all my listening has not really
> improved my Greek much.

This may reflect a common misinterpretation of what is being stated in second
language acquisition studies. It is COMMUNICATION in the language that
counts. USING the language. While passive listening to readings is certainly
of benefit, it will not produce internalization on its own. There is a sense in
which may not be interesting enough (routine/repeated), and another sense in
which it is usually not fully comprehensible. (We have some tricks for dealing
with the last point.)

Many students assume that listening to recordings of a scripture passage is
'audio learning' and that if they "do their grammar book" and listen
to the scripture
passages, then they are doing everything required for success. From a
communicative language theory approach, they may not even have started.
Or have only partially started in an optimistic reading.
Communication means just that, trying to communicate something in the
language, both directions, and orally/audio in the beginning at least. That
will start to put the language inside someone.

ERRWSQE
IWANHS



-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth at gmail.com
Biblical Language Center
Learn Easily - Progress Further - Remember for Life



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