I'm Learning....

[Sigma]

Just curious which langugage everyone here is learning.

[Hu]

Both, in addition to Sanskrit. I also have books on Middle Egyptian, Sumerian, and Akkadian for when I feel comfortable with the first three. (Not sure how long that'll take).

[Merlinus]

Latin, for now.
But I'll do Greek later, that's sure. And Sanskrit too.

*aren't we ambitious and hungry for languages*

[Iulianus]

Latin and (biblical) Greek - although I'm planning on doing classical Greek later on this year.

Other languages I'm learning at the moment: French and German (mostly refreshing and adding to my high-school knowledge, though). After I've gotten a sufficient basis in both of these, I'm planning on learning Old French and Mittelhochdeutsch, as well as Old and Middle English.

Oh yeah, and since I'm going to Italy next year, I'd like to learn a bit of that as well before I go...

A bit too ambitious maybe? Time will tell...

[jjhayes84]

Both and biblical Hebrew and German (both modern and 16th century). Someday I think I may learn Church slavonic just for fun.

[Sigma]

I'm learning just Latin and Russian. I'd love to add more (Irish Gaelic anyone?), but I personally find two languages plenty. That, and I can never settle on what that new language should be. Depending on when you ask me, it could be anything from Indonesian to Icelandic to Turkish.

[jjhayes84]

I'm learning just Latin and Russian.

How are you enjoying Russian? I would like to learn Russian some day, if I ever get the time.

[Sigma]

[jjhayes84]

I'm at a point now where I've got the grammar down, and know roughly 1700 words. Now I just need to read a ton and beef up my vocabulary.

What sorts of things are you reading? I don't know what I would read if I learned Russian. The reason I want to learn it is because I have an affinity for Russian culture and languages, but I don't know when I would use it, save for a trip to Russia. I would like to learn Church slavonic too some day. With this I could read some of the Russian church fathers.

[Sigma]

There is a ton of literature written in Russian, but I'm still not quite advanced enough to read it without looking up 30 words a page. Currently I'm reading articles from websites such as Lenta.ru or the Russian BBC. I also have the Russian reader "Stories from Today's Russia". It has three short stories, and footnotes with English translations of some of the more difficult words.

Once I get my vocabulary up a bit, I have a novel for childern in grade school I could read. From there, hopefully I'll have a large enough vocabulary to read that great wealth of Russian literature without too much trouble.

[cdm2003]

[jjhayes84]

Though, of course, no linguistic education can prepare a weak American stomach for the amount of vodka that an ex-Soviet military man expects you to drink with him.

That's awesome! I wouldn't mind a few Russian friends who could teach me how to really drink. Then again, I'm not too fond of hangovers either.

[MMoser]

Koine Greek and classical Latin as well as German. I'm also beginning to branch out into classical Greek this year.

[CharlesH]

edited for brevity

[Hu]

Which books do you have for these? I wrote my masters thesis on Akkadian real estate contracts and was taught Akkadian from Huehnergard's A Grammar of Akkadian and Labat's Manuel d'Epigraphie Akkadienne. I once bought a copy of Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar (I must have had a better-paying job at the time) and started working through it a few times but never got very far. I now keep it, my Hebrew grammar books, and an out-dated French and German grammar for when I feel comfortable with my Latin and Greek (if I survive that long ).

For Akkadian, I have A Manual of Akkadian by David Marcus. The Egyptian book is Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs by James P. Allen, and the Sumerian book is John Hayes's A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts.

[bellum paxque]

Just a question, Hu: how do you manage to keep up with THREE languages at once? I find it hard enough to manage Korean and Latin, to find a balance between the two, even though one is a classical langauge, primarily reading, and the other a conversational language. When dealing with three classical languages, I'd think the challenge of learning three separate vocabularies, three separate systems of syntax -- at once! -- would be overwhelming.

I'd love to be encouraged about this. Do share your secret!

Best,

David

[Hu]

Just a question, Hu: how do you manage to keep up with THREE languages at once? I find it hard enough to manage Korean and Latin, to find a balance between the two, even though one is a classical langauge, primarily reading, and the other a conversational language. When dealing with three classical languages, I'd think the challenge of learning three separate vocabularies, three separate systems of syntax -- at once! -- would be overwhelming.

I'd love to be encouraged about this. Do share your secret!

Best,

David

I have no life. I don't have a job and prefer reading a good book to going out with friends, which I've never done in my life. Learning about how people in the past thought and being able to understand the ideas our civilization is built on as they were originally written is far more satisfying. Call me a geek, but I'm quite fond of it.

The fact that they're all Indo-European and that I'm currently on a somewhat simple level also helps. As I get more advanced, I may slow down somewhat.

[annis]

Just a question, Hu: how do you manage to keep up with THREE languages at once?

Ahh. This reminds me of one semester in college when I contrived to take three language classes: Modern Japanese, Classical Chinese and Sanskrit. Heaven.

[cdm2003]

For Akkadian, I have A Manual of Akkadian by David Marcus. The Egyptian book is Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs by James P. Allen, and the Sumerian book is John Hayes's A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts.

I've not read through the Marcus book though I have a copy. I do like the fact that it has the glyph-syllabary in the back. I've not seen the other two but I'm going to look for the Sumerian one!

My kids' school did a unit last year on the history of Ancient Iraq and I came in for a morning with about 50 lbs. of clay and 40 sharpened chopsticks. I had prepared index cards with each kid's name in wedge-form (as well as could be done) and showed them how to prepare a tablet, make the wedges, and then write their names like any good Akkadian man or woman. They loved it. It was precisely that exercise that a teacher did in college that sold me on the beauty of Sumerian and Akkadian.

All the best to you with those languages! I am certainly envious!

That's awesome! I wouldn't mind a few Russian friends who could teach me how to really drink. Then again, I'm not too fond of hangovers either.

Me neither...and my Soviet friends ill-prepared me for the next morning. Though I will say I've never had better friends.

[Hu]

I've not read through the Marcus book though I have a copy. I do like the fact that it has the glyph-syllabary in the back. I've not seen the other two but I'm going to look for the Sumerian one!

I got it from here: http://www.dovebook.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

All the best to you with those languages! I am certainly envious!

Thank you. Sometimes I think I'm crazy, but there are fewer things I like doing better. Summer (and my free time) is almost over, though...

[Aristoklhs]

Only Ancient Greek.

Actually I prefer modern languages, but since I'm of hellenic religion, I want to read ancient greek texts with least possible help.

Well and it will surely enhance my modern greek.

[Kopio]

I voted Greek. Although I was taking on Latin this summer, life got far too hectic, and I had to step away from it. I know Koine pretty well, but when I read, I learn.

Ahh. This reminds me of one semester in college when I contrived to take three language classes: Modern Japanese, Classical Chinese and Sanskrit. Heaven.

Wow...you got me beat....my worst semester was 4th year Greek and 1st year Hebrew. The Hebrew was incredibly easy, because any first year language class tends to cover the basics. Entire class hours explaining things like "a predicate", or "the accusative". I nodded off and got a solid A in first semester, second semester got increasingly more difficult...and I'm not even sure I want to talk about Second year!

Which books do you have for these? I wrote my masters thesis on Akkadian real estate contracts and was taught Akkadian from Huehnergard's A Grammar of Akkadian and Labat's Manuel d'Epigraphie Akkadienne.

Wow....I bet that was fascinating research! I'd actually be interested in reading that. Especially in light of Gen 23 and the price that Abraham paid the Hittites for his funeral plot. Do you have any insight on this?? I have heard the amount he was charged was astronomical, but for the uninformed it almost looks like he got a good deal.

[cdm2003]

Wow....I bet that was fascinating research! I'd actually be interested in reading that. Especially in light of Gen 23 and the price that Abraham paid the Hittites for his funeral plot. Do you have any insight on this?? I have heard the amount he was charged was astronomical, but for the uninformed it almost looks like he got a good deal.

Many thanks...it was fun research. I studied real estate transactions in the city of Uruk during the Seleucid Era. At that time, a plot of land within the city walls with no house or other structure upon it ran approximately 0.05 shekels per square cubit. 0.25 to 0.5 shekels/square cubit on average if some habitable building already was erected on the land. So, one mina of silver (fifty shekels) could potentially buy you close to a 50 ft. x 50 ft. plot. Genesis 23 states 400 shekels, or 8 minas, were paid for the field. Were the field within the city of Uruk, the cost would suggest a property containing 8,000 square cubits (give or take...those Seleucids taxed all real-estate transactions), which is probably the largest size of arable land any one person could manage (with the help of a lot of oxen). But, that's for property protected within city walls in an affluent town on the Euphrates...prime real-estate at the time. In Genesis, the field Abe bought is near Hebron in the middle of rocky hill-country far away from any river (hence no irrigation other than the weather). There's a cave on part of it as well (obviously) and you can't grow much in or on a cave. I think it's safe to assume that it was barely arable at best.

IMHO, Abraham bought the land from the used-car dealership of the ancient world. The amount of money he paid could have been spent closer to Ur and Sarah could have had a Taj Mahal for sempiternal rest as opposed to a yucky cave with who knows how many spiders and creepy-crawlies.

Disclaimer: These values are garnered from a small group of extant texts written during a short time period. Real-estate values varied not only from city to city but from neighborhood to neighborhood and century to century. There are many other surviving tablets which cover arable land transactions and which would more accurately reflect the cost of a field during Seleucid times.

Hope this helps!
Chris

[Carola]

I've already completed 3 years of Latin at university and am now in my 1st year of Greek. I have been trying to study Arabic as well but my very busy life keeps getting in the way! I am still doing quite a bit of Latin but the only thing I find difficult about studying several languages at once is a lack of hours in the day - I don't find it confusing, somehow my brain seems to keep everything separate. Having 3 alphabets and 5 languages is great - I can write totally illegible notes to myself in lots of languages! Wow - and I can't even read my own shopping lists written in English!