Koine Greek with the Greek Pronunciation?

[Little Nyssa]

Hi all,

does anyone know of a Greek textbook which uses the Greek pronunciation instead of the Western? Thanks!

[Ester Maria]

The differences between various types of Latin, Greek and Hebrew pronunciations are so minimal that they don't warrant using a different textbook if you have a preference towards a specific pronunciation not promoted by the textbook you'd like to use.

Textbooks are chosen based on the layer of the language they cover, among other things, so yes, there it makes sense to pick a specific Koine textbook if you're interested only in covering that layer of the language, but a pronunciation is by far the least of your worries.

 

Being that you obviously for some reason have a preference already, I assume you know WHY you have it and you KNOW, therefore, how to pronounce things the way they would be pronounced in modern Greek - so do it that way: just switch your betas with vitas, etas with itas, merge diphtongs, and so forth, do all the necessary changes when you read, and your children will pick it from you. No biggie, really, and you don't need a specific textbook if you know what you're doing and why you're doing it (and I doubt anyone has a very clear preference in these things without knowing what and why they're doing). Pick the most suitable textbook and just read it your way. Kids won't be confused even if they hear the reconstructed pronunciation, as I said, differences are minimal and my kids switch all the time in all three classical languages.

[Kates]

What age are you looking to teach? Obviously you wouldn't take something like Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek and teach it to a 9yo...likewise, you wouldn't take something meant for a 9yo and teach it to a senior. There are resources out there for pretty much every age, can you clarify?

[Little Nyssa]

Thanks for the responses!

I'm teaching 1st and preK, but I also have my eye on teaching a church class for a range of ages.

The reason for wanting to study with the Greek pronunciation is simply that we are in the Greek church and have bilingual services, so the Greek pronunciation is what DC hear all the time and need to become proficient in. (It also happens to be what I was taught at a well-known secular university which shall be nameless.)

 

There are many lovely kids' textbooks with the Western pronunciation, but I know from previewing them that I would constantly have to be correcting what is on the page, and that would become tiresome, as well as confusing to DC, and also it would make some of the techniques not work (like rhymes and reading English words with Greek letters). In that case I might as well not use a text. I just thought it would be easier if there were one. And, an attractive colorful book is more fun for DC.

 

And, contrariwise, the Greek community has many lovely texts as well, but only for Modern Greek.

 

I will just have to pull together some things and invent my own! I intend to use as a base a new college text by a favorite professor:

http://www.amazon.com/NT-Greek-Approach-John-Clabeaux/dp/1589661869/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286255603&sr=8-1

 

Best wishes to all,

Alyce

[happygrrl]

Thanks for the responses!

I'm teaching 1st and preK, but I also have my eye on teaching a church class for a range of ages.

The reason for wanting to study with the Greek pronunciation is simply that we are in the Greek church and have bilingual services, so the Greek pronunciation is what DC hear all the time and need to become proficient in. (It also happens to be what I was taught at a well-known secular university which shall be nameless.)

 

There are many lovely kids' textbooks with the Western pronunciation, but I know from previewing them that I would constantly have to be correcting what is on the page, and that would become tiresome, as well as confusing to DC, and also it would make some of the techniques not work (like rhymes and reading English words with Greek letters). In that case I might as well not use a text. I just thought it would be easier if there were one. And, an attractive colorful book is more fun for DC.

 

And, contrariwise, the Greek community has many lovely texts as well, but only for Modern Greek.

 

I will just have to pull together some things and invent my own! I intend to use as a base a new college text by a favorite professor:

http://www.amazon.com/NT-Greek-Approach-John-Clabeaux/dp/1589661869/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286255603&sr=8-1

 

Best wishes to all,

Alyce

 

Hi!

Do post over at the Orthodox Homeschool Social Group when you find something good re: Greek texts. There are a few of us over there who are looking for resources for the same reasons. :D

[Little Nyssa]

OK thanks! I just signed up for that group.

[Ester Maria]

There are many lovely kids' textbooks with the Western pronunciation, but I know from previewing them that I would constantly have to be correcting what is on the page, and that would become tiresome, as well as confusing to DC, and also it would make some of the techniques not work (like rhymes and reading English words with Greek letters).

You're underestimating those kids. :)

 

They won't be confused. You can explain nicely that these textbooks are lovely, but pronounce things differently than you do, you can outline the differences, teach both, and with time just gently switch to your own preference. There's a whole lot of people (we included) who switch pronunciations all the time for all three classical languages with children, and children are alive and healthy irregardless.

 

I think teaching the reconstructed pronunciation in addition to the modern one has its benefits, since that's what children will encouter outside of your circles, but you can still gently prefer modern, and kids will be okay and know both.

Alternatively, just use Greek textbooks. They don't start with arxaia until middle school, though, and not that it matters unless you know modern Greek too (since they learn arxaia via nea, of course), but if you want to avoid seeing "wrong" transliterations on the page, that's the way to go. Or just create your own materials.

In any program, though, transliterations should be used minimally, so past the initial stage, kids won't even be seeing them, right?

[abbeyej]

Well, since your children are young and you're going to be starting, at this point, with just the letters and sounds, why not just buy a set of letter blockshttp://www.barclaywoods.com/alphabet_blocks/Greek_Alphabet_Blocks.htm and teach your children just as you taught them their alphabet with English pronunciation? Once you're ready to teach them Koine, just skip past the alphabet-learning portion of whichever Koine textbook you plan to use and don't use the audio portion. It sounds as if you've studied enough Greek (in school and in church) to manage the modern pronunciation of Koine, and that will be reinforced when the children are at church.

[happygrrl]

Well, since your children are young and you're going to be starting, at this point, with just the letters and sounds, why not just buy a set of letter blockshttp://www.barclaywoods.com/alphabet_blocks/Greek_Alphabet_Blocks.htm and teach your children just as you taught them their alphabet with English pronunciation? Once you're ready to teach them Koine, just skip past the alphabet-learning portion of whichever Koine textbook you plan to use and don't use the audio portion. It sounds as if you've studied enough Greek (in school and in church) to manage the modern pronunciation of Koine, and that will be reinforced when the children are at church.

 

Oh my goodness! Too cute! Did you see the Chinese ones? I had no idea I would be buying 27 sets of blocks today! :D

[Dmmetler]

Song School Greek has both traditional and modern pronunciations options for the audio, and both are in the text as well.

[Little Nyssa]

Song School Greek has both traditional and modern pronunciations options for the audio, and both are in the text as well.

 

Thanks!!

[Kareni]

Well, since your children are young and you're going to be starting, at this point, with just the letters and sounds, why not just buy a set of letter blocks http://www.barclaywoods.com/alphabet_blocks/Greek_Alphabet_Blocks.htm and teach your children just as you taught them their alphabet with English pronunciation?

 

Those are nifty blocks indeed, abbeyej. Thanks for sharing!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[quetzal]

Song School Greek and presumably Greek for Children (by the same company) gives both the modern Greek and the koine pronunciation in the book and on the CD. I have an Orthodox friend who is using it with her children.

 

--Sarah

[Jyniffrec]

Song School Greek and presumably Greek for Children (by the same company) gives both the modern Greek and the koine pronunciation in the book and on the CD. I have an Orthodox friend who is using it with her children.

 

--Sarah

 

This Orthodox person is very glad to hear it! :001_smile: I was really debating getting Song School Greek because my kids are in a modern Greek class in church.