Greece in the summer

[pster]

I'm heading to Greece this summer for at least three weeks.
Does anybody know any good not too expensive language program? I'm not interested in spending thousands to hang out with a bunch of undergraduates.
And, does anybody have any tips for parlaying Attic Greek into Modern Greek to maximize short term enjoyment?

[IreneY]

Hi there!

What kind of language program are we talking about?
As for Greek: Well, you don't really need to speak Greek as many Greeks speak English at least passably well. If you are using a reconstructed pronunciation of any period prior to Koine I'm afraid you won't be able to use ancient Greek at all (I can find you a video with a Greek reading one classical text or another). If not I can list some of the major differences between the two. Note that it will still sound weird to most Greeks, closer to Puristic than Demotic Greek.

[Scribo]

Honestly, don't overly bother with trying to utilise Ancient Greek. The differences are huge, much more than adherents of katherevousa would admit (puristic Greek was ill thought out and clumbsy tbh) and even where words are similar semantics might have changed slightly. What I would recommend is learn the modern Greek pronounciation, a few conversational terms and try and get the general sentence structure down.

That way when you're speaking, even if you feel the need to throw in an ancient Greek verb or noun at least you'll have a more natural pronounciation plus you'll have modernised the ending so for example neuter endings in ον are now ο or how ων turns into ονας etc.

You'll be able to find a quick overview of the grammar online, you'll pick it up quickly then just find a way to get a functional vocabularly and some needed set phrases and learn on the go.

I miss Greece. You know modern Greek comes up (reasonably) often here, perhaps we should have some sort of discussion thread/section?

[pster]

Hi there!

What kind of language program are we talking about?
As for Greek: Well, you don't really need to speak Greek as many Greeks speak English at least passably well. If you are using a reconstructed pronunciation of any period prior to Koine I'm afraid you won't be able to use ancient Greek at all (I can find you a video with a Greek reading one classical text or another). If not I can list some of the major differences between the two. Note that it will still sound weird to most Greeks, closer to Puristic than Demotic Greek.

There are these wonderful people and their very very cool looking program http://www.idyllion.gr/history_of_the_c ... eeting.htm. My only concern is that most of the participants will be either Greek or German. Maybe we'll have to communicate in Attic?? Hehe. That would be awesome, but somehow I imagine hearing lots of German and Modern Greek despite the fact that they pretty explicitly reach out in English, French, Italian and Spanish also.

I'm not sure how long I'm going to be there. It could be three weeks, but it also could be three months. I'm interested in finding out what cool programs there are that could really help me improve my Attic. Your run of the mill over priced NYU sponsored summer in Greece program doesn't interest me. But if there are any real diamonds in the ruff, I'd like to know. Honestly, the Idyllion one looks amazing and I may very well end up there. I may even make a submission to their contest. If there are any comparable to that, I'd like to know.

[Tim]

I envy you, I would love to go to Greece.

Have you considered the Greek Rosetta Program?
I haven't tried it yet, it's on my bucket list; along with the Greece trip.
Actually, I've been to Athens but was I not allowed to leave the airplane.
I was on my lovely tour of the Persian Gulf. We were in a bit of a hurry.

[jtm]

I went to Greece a couple years ago.

I used a basic text to get the grammar, and for practice with pronunciation I found two sources online that were useful for spoken Greek.

First, there is a series of lessons from Radio Cyprus from the 60s. You can listen to them free online, and there are resources you can print out as well. It's called "Learn Greek Online" on kypros.org. It can be a bit dull at first ("Do you have a pencil?"--"Yes, I have a pencil."--"What is that?"--"That is a box."--"What is in the box?"--"There is a pencil in box.")--though honestly, it really helps to have that basic stuff drilled into your head. -- It is unintentionally hilarious at times as well. The fifth verb they introduce--FIFTH--is "to smoke," along with the words for "cigarette" and "matches."

And second, there is a series of about 80 short podcasts from the Hellenic-American Union. You can download them free from i-Tunes. They are a bit more advanced. They don't drill the basics. It's a series of roughly 9-minute conversations of a group of friends. It gives you a better feel for what real modern Greek is like. It's lively and modern. I put those podcasts on my iPod and listened to them constantly--while running, while weeding the garden--everything. I created my own private immersion course, so that my ears would be used to the sounds.

[Adelheid]

Those podcasts are a good tip! Downloading them now.

[jtm]

Glad they're helping! I thought they were great.

The HAU website has the text of what's said in the podcast, though in Greek only, no translation. But the text helps a lot if the people in the podcasts speak too quickly for you. They certainly did for me!

When I went through the podcasts I listened to one straight a few times, trying to catch as much as I could just by ear. Then I'd read through the text (with grammar and dictionary), and then listened to the podcast again until I was comfortable enough with what was said, then try the next podcast. It really helped.

[helios]

My only concern is that most of the participants will be either Greek or German. Maybe we'll have to communicate in Attic??

Irene mentioned that most Greeks speak some English, and this is true of Germans, too. I've been all over Germany and the only place they sometimes don't—and it's usually older people who don't—is the former DDR.

My suspicion is you'll have few problems. If you do go I hope you post your experiences.

[pster]

I think that the core of it is 4hrs/day of a Dutch guy teaching Plato and St. Basil in German.

[ajackson]

Hello,

First of all you have to learn the greek alphabet. For beginners who want to learn Greek on their own, at their own pace, a good option would be to purchase an audio book or CD-ROM learning course. As an alternative to purchasing an audio book or CD-ROM course in Greek, a number of online courses are also available.
Good luck!