Dialects

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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Dingbats
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Dialects

Post by Dingbats »

I'm planning to learn Greek soon, but the many different dialects confuse me. I wonder two things.

α) How big are the differences? If I learn for example Attic, will I then be able to understand, say, Koine?
β) Which dialect is the most common? Which dialect is spoken here at Textkit, or are all of them used here?

I'd really appreciate some replies on this.

Also, which book available from Textkit should I use?

cweb255
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Post by cweb255 »

The most advisable thing for you to do is learn what you want to read first. Learning Greek is not easy, yet it is not terribly hard either, especially if you already know Latin.

Iliad or Odyssey - Homeric Greek
Plato, Aristophanes, Sophocles, etc... - Attic
Lesbo - Ionian
New Testament - Koine

I'd start with Attic first, as it has the most works written in it, then move on to the different dialects (really easy to pick up, with the possible exception of Homer, you might need a brief tutorial) then move in late Greek (Septuagint - just got it today!) then Koine. But that's me. :)

Good luck!

annis
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Post by annis »

I've just added a sticky post to the top of the Learning Greek forum. In that is a link to a web page going over the pros and cons of various starting places in detail.
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;

Dingbats
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Post by Dingbats »

Attic seems to be the best to start with, then. But still:

Are all dialects used here at Textkit in the forums, if yes, which is the most common?
If I learn Attic, will I be able to understand other dialects?

annis
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Post by annis »

Dingbats wrote:Are all dialects used here at Textkit in the forums, if yes, which is the most common?
A scholarly Attic is used for the brief chats in Greek prose. On those occasions when I'm moved to produce verse, it will have an Ionic brogue, in Honor of Homer.
If I learn Attic, will I be able to understand other dialects?
Yes. Epic, Attic and Koine are all closely related. If you start with Attic you'll probably find direct Homeric quotes difficult, but that difficulty would pass without too much practice.
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;

Dingbats
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Posts: 166
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:50 pm
Location: Sweden

Post by Dingbats »

Thanks! I'll start with Attic then, but first I need to get even better at Latin (reading De Bello Gallico at the moment).

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