Learning Greek?

Here you can discuss all things Ancient Greek. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Greek, and more.
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Markos
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Re: Learning Greek?

Post by Markos »

Hi, Catalinux,

Attic and Koine are the same language. Learning one is very helpful in learning the other. If you can, by all means take that seminary course in NT Greek.

Good luck!


{ χαῖρε Καταλινυξ,

ἡ μὲν οὖν Ἀττικὴ καὶ ἡ Κοινὴ γλῶσσα μία. ἡ μάθησις οὖν τῆς Κοινῆς ωφελίμη πρὸς τὴν τῆς Ἀττικῆς μάθησιν. ἐὰν δύνασαι, ἔρχου δὴ πρὸς ταύτην τὴν σχολήν τὴν θεολογικήν.

εὐτύχει! }
οὐ μανθάνω γράφειν, ἀλλὰ γράφω τοῦ μαθεῖν.

Grochojad
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Re: Learning Greek?

Post by Grochojad »

Markos wrote:Attic and Koine are the same language. Learning one is very helpful in learning the other. If you can, by all means take that seminary course in NT Greek.
If they are the same language why learning one of them is only "helpful" and not "equal" to learning the other?

Attic and Koine are two different parts of the evolution of a language. There is a difference of over 500 years between classical authors and Vulgate, so the language couldn't, by any means, remain the same. They are both quite similar nevertheless. The year spent learning Koine certainly wouldn't be a waste and a decent start on your way to reading Plato.

ragnar_deerslayer
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Re: Learning Greek?

Post by ragnar_deerslayer »

Koine is a simplification of Attic. In particular, the dual form of the verbs dropped out, and the optative is almost entirely unused. There are a few other minor points (contractions of some vowels, I think), but I'd estimate that above 95% of what you learn in a New Testament Greek class is directly applicable to Classical (Attic) Greek.
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