Greek

[Myra]

My son is just finishing up Latina Christiana II and will begin Cambridge Latin in the Fall 2008. He's expressing an interest in starting Greek also.

So my question is three-fold:

1. Any self-directed Greek programs out there that aren't too intense or overly time-consuming?

2. Do I foster this interest in Greek or convince him to wait until he has a little more Latin "under-his-belt" before starting another language?

3. SInce his writing (mechanic-wise) in English needs major work, should I just say "Latin only" and encourage him to save Greek for later?

 

Myra

[Myra]

Oh, yes...forgot to say he's entering Grade 9 in the Fall.

[Gwen in VA]

Have him take Greek through Scholars Online. My son is finishing up Greek 3 right now, and he has learned a lot and really enjoyed the classes.

[percytruffle]

Myra, there was a fairly recent discussion here about New Testament Greek options. You may find some useful info in that thread.

[teachmom3]

Hi, Myra--

 

I have a minor in Greek Literature. . .although that was long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, and so I remember next-to-nothing about it. However, I also had Child #2 do a semester of classical (Attic) Greek in high school (which probably is the reason why she changed her mind and decided not to be a classical studies major), and had Child #3 go through LCII (as your ds did) and the first volume of Latin in the Christian Trivium.

 

My son is just finishing up Latina Christiana II and will begin Cambridge Latin in the Fall 2008. He's expressing an interest in starting Greek also.

So my question is three-fold:

1. Any self-directed Greek programs out there that aren't too intense or overly time-consuming?

 

I only have direct experience with the textbook I used in college (which is still available, apparently) and the one my dd used. Neither is really self-directed.

 

One of the first decisions you need to make is whether your ds is going to be learning classical (or Attic) Greek or koiné (New Testament) Greek. Koiné is easier, and there seem to be more self-directed courses available for it compared to those for Attic Greek. However, if your ds is going to be using the Greek for anything besides reading the Bible, he should probably learn Attic. On the other hand, learning Attic Greek may be impossible without a self-directed curriculum (which I never found for Attic Greek) or someone available who has some familiarity with Greek.

 

 

2. Do I foster this interest in Greek or convince him to wait until he has a little more Latin "under-his-belt" before starting another language?

 

That's a tough question. I guess it would at least in part depend on what other things he would NOT be doing in order to do both Latin and Greek. (See, for example, my response to your questions #3 below.) BTW, Greek is harder than Latin, IMHO.

 

 

3. SInce his writing (mechanic-wise) in English needs major work, should I just say "Latin only" and encourage him to save Greek for later?

 

Myra

 

I would say that you should concentrate on his writing skills. He won't need Greek or even Latin for most of what he does (unless he becomes a classical studies major or goes to seminary), but he WILL need solid writing skills regardless of what field he enters. And the ability to write will likely be a bigger determinant of college success than either Latin or Greek. I'm not saying that it's necessarily an either-or choice (writing skills vs. Latin/Greek), but if it does turn out that way, then composition should probably have priority.

 

JMHO!

[Maverick]

Gwen,

 

Did your ds start with Greek I? Who taught his class? I am looking into the Greek I class for next year for my ds who will be an 8th grader. He is in level 2 of Elementary Greek now, and he enjoys it but I think he needs some interaction with other people studying Greek (not other ds and I, lol). I couldn't find anything on the website about curriculum--do they use a standard text? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks.

[Moira in MA]

Greek I at SO is taught by Sarah Esposito. Here is the description:

 

This course, together with Greek II, is a fairly complete exposure to Attic (classical) Greek using the thorough, if weighty, book by Hansen and Quinn. By the end of the two-year sequence, students are ready to tackle Attic authors, and in the past have tested into upper-division college-level courses in Greek. By the end of the first year, most students can make reasonably good progress through the Greek New Testament with little more assistance than a lexicon.

 

And concerning homework:

We go through Hansen and Quinn and work through virtually all the exercises and most of the readings. This requires considerable daily application and some very regular commitment to memorizing the variety of forms. It is probably harder for most students than an elementary Latin sequence.

 

I have chosen to wait until after completion of Latin III to introduce Greek, so that dd has had time to solidify her Latin before tackling the complexities of Greek.

 

HTH

[Maverick]

Thanks, Moira, this is helpful. Matthew isn't doing any other languages, so I think he could handle the workload (he had two years of Latin & a smattering of Spanish in the early grades). He's done Traditional Logic I and II and is working on geometry. He is a math whiz--very analytical by nature and just loves anything that has to do with logical thinking. I'm just considering whether this is the route we want to go. I've had it in my mind that we'd stick w/ Biblical Greek, but reading the "Why classical Greek?" essay on the SO website got me thinking that it makes sense for this particular child to delve deeper. Now to convince dh that the tuition is in the budget. :D

 

If anyone else has comments re: Koine vs. classical Greek or other online Greek classes besides SO I'm all ears. :bigear:

[Gwen in VA]

My son started Greek after doing Latin 1. (He did Latin 1 for four years, using lOTS of different textbooks, but he never got beyond Latin1.)

 

Greek is difficult, but my son is enjoying reading Plato in the original language and being able to comment on sermons where the pastor uses Greek to prove something.

 

After two years of Attic Greek, ds could pretty much read the Bible in terms of forms, though vocab was still an issue. Starting midway through Greek 3 he has been able to read and translate from the NT pretty fluently.