Received my Italian Athenaze

[paulusnb]

It took 3 months, but I received my Italian Athenaze on Thursday. I was at first disappointed at all the Italian in the book. I wish there were an English version of this because all of the Civilta (Civilization/culture??) sections look pretty interesting. (Oh wait. There is, and it does not cost 60 dollars, and it is in English.)

One thing I was interested to see was whether or not the inductive method works for Greek. I have the JACT Reading Greek books, but I find the separation of the vocab from the stories (separate books!) to be asinine. How is one to know what επειτα means at first sight?

Looking at Athenaze, it becomes apparent that the inductive method is limited in Greek. A first timer, I think, will work through the first chapter of Lingua Latina much faster than the first chapter of Athenaze. With that said, Athenaze is a delight. The pictures are great, and the book seems to have a distinctive personality like Lingua Latina. In fact, I think that Lingua Latina's stories are a large part of the success of the book. Book II, which turns to Livy, is a much harder slog than Book I.

Back to Athenaze.....I wish there were more Greek text in the book. The acquisition of vocab would be easier if the book repeated it more. Anyway, my daughters want breakfast. More to come......

[paulusnb]

Hmmmm........I was just checking out the English Athenaze on Amazon and it looks as if the core story is the same. The Italian is similar to the Lingua Latina, and thus different than the English Athenaze, in its presentation of vocab and the pictures. Not sure it was worth paying 60 dollars for pictures. Can someone make me feel better about this purchase and convince me of the need to get the 60 dollar Italian Vol. II rather than the English?

[edonnelly]

Here's the thread that started it all:

http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6607

I'm not sure if it will make you feel better or worse about it.

[paulusnb]

Thanks. I have read the page and given it some thought. The pictures are damn good.

[tico]

Just to make you feel better...
The Italian version has more texts than the original English version. Each lesson has one or two new texts made by the Italian authors. There are also 2 volumes of exercises (Meletémata) and they are really good and worth, IMHO. You can see some pages (click on "qualche pagina")of these exercises volumes at http://www.vivariumnovum.it/athenaze.htm

[thesaurus]

In my experience, there is a LOT more Greek in the Italian version than the English. In the early chapters they expand a few, but as you continue the amount of reading you do in Greek greatly multiplies. It is definitely less inductive than Lingua Latina, but this cannot be avoided with a language that we share so few cognates with.

Also, the vocabulary really isn't separate from the readings. In the early chapters it definitely is, which is unfortunate, but I don't think there is a way around this. Later you pick most of it up in context or through marginal Greek notations.

So don't feel so bad. It really helped me get on my feet with Greek, and I think the sheer quantity of texts you will read is the reason. I do think it's inaccurate to call it the "Greek Lingua Latina" but it is as close as we have come. I think the similarities with the English series will start to diminish as you progress. I stopped reading the Civiltà sections after a few chapters because I wanted to press ahead. Give it some time!

Edit: In volume II the quantity of Greek you're reading is immense, although I found the quantity of new vocabulary to be occasionally overwhelming. It was a year ago that I quickly worked through both volumes, and while I've moved on to reading Greek authors since then, I think I'm going to try to re-cover Athenaze again this summer... especially volume 2!

[paulusnb]

Thanks much. The guy that ordered it for me told me the cost was not as much as I had thought. So, I feel better. I am also happy to hear that there is much more Greek in the Italian version. Gratias Ago Tibi.

[Lucus Eques]

$60?! It was just €20 when I bought it in Florence. Has the price gone up that much?

[paulusnb]

Depends on the Euro. When I was in Italy last, a dollar was worth 1.5 Euro. Those were the days.......

I am not sure of the exact cost because a friend ordered it for me. He claims 40 $. I think he is wrong.

Anyway, book is 22 Euro and fast shipping ( a must in Italy) is 18 Euro. At the time I looked (Dec), I think the Euro was 1.5 $, so 1.5 X 40 = 60 $. Now it is 52 $ because the Euro is lower.