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.
Bedell wrote:How would Greek Ollendorf be as a gentle introduction toward reading Aristotle? I'm guessing that both are in Attic, but Greek is definitely not an area in which I have much useful knowledge.
I am partial to it, of course, but I think it is a very useful introduction to ancient Greek in general, no matter what you plan to read.
If you wish to read Aristotle, you may consider these Greek commentaries:
For me, the Greek Ollendorff, with its methodical and extremely simple progression, was a perfect vehicle for recording and then listening, as an autodidact's way of complementing grammar study with the development of some natural feeling for the language. I wouldn't recommend the Ollendorff as one's sole or first general introduction to (yes, Attic) Greek - there's too many excellent and much more contemporary resources for that.
As for a "gentle introduction toward reading Aristotle [in Greek]," there's no such thing. In addition to the complexity of its subject matter, the style of Aristotle's works is generally that of classroom notes, highly abbreviated and full of shortcuts. I'm no expert, but decades ago as a classics PhD student I took a graduate seminar on Aristotle that was focused on his compositional style, and I remember it took considerable effort to begin getting comfortable with it.
If your goal is to read Aristotle in Greek with some facility, I suggest you need several years of preparation, learning (Attic) Greek in any of the standard ways and then reading other more "connected" prose first (Xenophon, the "early" dialogs of Plato, some Thucydides, maybe some of the Attic orators, ...).
Bedell wrote:How would Greek Ollendorf be as a gentle introduction toward reading Aristotle? I'm guessing that both are in Attic, but Greek is definitely not an area in which I have much useful knowledge.
It would be wonderful because we have two wonderful audio companions which are freely available:
But Randy is correct that you would still have lots of additional work you would need to do before you could comfortably read Aristotle. But it's a start, and you could listen to the audios while commuting to work.
This house. - This high house. - These
beautiful houses have porches and hearths.
- This hill is high. - This hill
is not so high, as that near the
river. - Whence do these good men come?
- They come from the village in the plain. - Who
are in these beautiful gardens? - These
beautiful maidens are here. - That is this? -.
I would have expected "What is this?" for "Τί ἐστι τοῦτο;"
This house. - This high house. - These
beautiful houses have porches and hearths.
- This hill is high. - This hill
is not so high, as that near the
river. - Whence do these good men come?
- They come from the village in the plain. - Who
are in these beautiful gardens? - These
beautiful maidens are here. - That is this? -.
I would have expected "What is this?" for "Τί ἐστι τοῦτο;"
And rightly so! What a silly error. It shall be fixed by close of business today.
The missing Exercise 107
The downloadable version of Ollendorff has two pages missing. Partly as an exercise I decided to type up the Greek exercise and am posting it in the hope that others may find it useful. (I have rechecked it for typos though I suspect that I may have missed a few. )
Daivid, you can get it from the Google Books version.
daivid wrote:The missing Exercise 107
The downloadable version of Ollendorff has two pages missing. Partly as an exercise I decided to type up the Greek exercise and am posting it in the hope that others may find it useful. (I have rechecked it for typos though I suspect that I may have missed a few. )
bedwere wrote:Daivid, you can get it from the Google Books version.
daivid wrote:The missing Exercise 107
The downloadable version of Ollendorff has two pages missing.
True but it is not downloadable. (If there is a way to download stuff from Google Books please let me know.) I find using Google Books online awkward and the benefit of those who are like me, I posted a version that can be cut and pasted.
bedwere wrote:Daivid, you can get it from the Google Books version.
daivid wrote:The missing Exercise 107
The downloadable version of Ollendorff has two pages missing.
True but it is not downloadable. (If there is a way to download stuff from Google Books please let me know.) I find using Google Books online awkward and the benefit of those who are like me, I posted a version that can be cut and pasted.
Just click on the cog on the top right and select "Download PDF"
daivid wrote: (If there is a way to download stuff from Google Books please let me know.) .
Just click on the cog on the top right and select "Download PDF"
Having not seen a way to do that first time I stopped looking. You have my undying grattitude for that tip.
On the page with the key to that exercise you warn people that the two pages are missing from the Internet Archive. It might be useful to mention that the Google version is complete on that post.
davidhan wrote:Here is the topic I'm interested.
I am super impressed that you did all this work (and also extremely grateful!).
I am wondering if I missed something or if Lesson 33 is simply not there.
I checked the book, and there are exercises....
Hi, Davidhan,
Lessons 32 and 33 are in the same post. Probably that's why you missed it. You may want to download the free pdf or buy the printed edition on Lulu.
Possibly one like got dropped out of the key:
On page 158 between - Ὁ πατὴρ πέμψει πρὸς τὸν ἰατρὸν διὰ
τοῦ υἱοῦ. and - Οὐ διὰ τοῦ τοῦ ἐμπόρου υἱοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου. there is the phrase Not through his own son but mine.
EDIT
Also shouldn't Εὑρήσω τὰν χλαῖνάν μου ἢ πρὸ τῆς θύρας, ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης, ἢ ἐν τῷ χρυσῷ κανῷ. have τῇ χρυσῇ χηλῷ at the end?
Once again thanks for doing the key. Even though I am doing stuff that should be revision the key allows me to spot places where I hadn't quite got it.