Very Young Learners

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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Kalissa
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Very Young Learners

Post by Kalissa »

I was curious if there are any Classical Greek textbooks designed for younger learners (below age 10)?

I am about to bring up a toddler in Japan and she will be able to read both the Roman and Japanese alphabets and speak English and Japanese fluently. I want to introduce both Latin and Greek into her extra-curricular studies and thought it best to begin with Greek so that there is less confusion with her English and Latin (seeing as they use the same alphabets).

I studied Greek and Latin at University but I doubt the textbooks I am familiar with will be appealing to her.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Many thanks,
Bronwen

quendidil
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Post by quendidil »

What about attempting to speak Greek with her? 日本人?????ん?り?幼稚園?行??り?テレビを見?り??を??ら????ん?自分????るよ???る???????家?日本語??ゃ?る必?????も知れ?。??ら?家?英語?ギリシア語??ゃ?る?????ょ?? I believe Ancient Greek Alive has speaking exercises for 10 chapters and it contains some Arab folk tales which might be appealing to children. Morice's Stories in Attic Greek could also serve as bedtime reading.

Good Luck! If I ever have children I'd like to raise them in Greek as well, for the benefit of future parents, maybe you could keep a log? Thanks!

Kalissa
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Post by Kalissa »

娘??家?英語を?ゃ?る??育園?日本語を?ゃ?り??。??大学?グリシア語??ゃ?る事を勉強???ん???。読む?書????。

Thank you for the suggestions. I don't know if I can use Greek effectively for communication but I am sure that I can cope with reading bedside stories in it. I will have a look at the resources you suggested.

よ?????
Bronwen

spiphany
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Post by spiphany »

I think other users here have suggested W.H.D. Rouse, A Greek Boy at Home and Peckett and Munday, Thrasymachus, which are both reading-based texts. You can do a forum search for more comments on them.
IPHIGENIE: Kann uns zum Vaterland die Fremde werden?
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist's, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)

Kalissa
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Post by Kalissa »

Thank you.

I found a place to download A Greek Boy at Home (apparently its long out of print) and had a peek at it. It looks like a lot of fun. I will also explore the other option.

Many thanks,
Bronwen

Bert
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Post by Bert »

Kalissa wrote:Thank you.

I found a place to download A Greek Boy at Home (apparently its long out of print) and had a peek at it. It looks like a lot of fun. I will also explore the other option.

Many thanks,
Bronwen
It is fun but may be a bit much for a 10 year old.

quendidil
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Post by quendidil »

I still think an immersion based approach would be best for your toddler. Grammatical rules are still too abstract before age 9 at least. Even if you hadn't studied spoken Greek at college (who in the modern world has? :) ) you can work through the speaking exercises in Ancient Greek Alive or even Sprechen Sie Attisch if you know some German.

Kalissa
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Post by Kalissa »

Kinda like the read-along tapes I had when I was a kid?
Let the little one listen to the Audio track while offering the book to follow along with?

Kopio
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Post by Kopio »

There is a great Koine Greek program that would work well for children (it also works well for grownups) it's called Greek to Me by Lyle Story.

It uses pictures to help learn paradigms and vocab. The transition to Classical after studying Koine isn't too bad. I've learned to read Classical rather well, but Koine is still my strong suit.

--Matt

quendidil
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Post by quendidil »

Kalissa wrote:Kinda like the read-along tapes I had when I was a kid?
Let the little one listen to the Audio track while offering the book to follow along with?
Yes sort-of like that, I think.

You might be interested to know also that William James Sidis taught himself Greek and Latin from a copy of one of Homer's works and the Civil Wars and with a "pony" translation in English when he was 4 years old.

http://www.sidis.net/Story5.htm

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