Does anyone know of any good sources for studying Attic Greek? I found some online things but I can never seem to take them seriously enough to focus. I saw an intro book for $35 on amazon, but I'd rather not drop $35 and then have to drop more later on.
Attic Greek books
- Thread starter QMF
- Start date
At my church, I run a class on introductory Greek for bible study. This along with my meagre experience with the language in college (one full semester and some off-line tutoring; you don't need much more than a good attitude to volunteer at church
) hardly qualifies me as an expert, but I can tell you what I've seen.
The Athenaze Series takes an immersion approach, getting you reading right away and glossing over some of the difficulties. I've spent some time with this book, and personally prefer its approach for beginners, but it may not be your cup of tea. It's also cheap--you can find it for under $5 on Amazon--so how bad can it be? This would be my personal choice.
Hansen & Quinn and Mastronarde (probably the one you saw on Amazon) are other fairly recent texts that I often hear recommended. I've only skimmed these, but it is clear even from a quick look that Mastronarde emphasizes grammar and forms only in the beginning (i.e. very very little reading until deep in to the book). However, if you want a hard-grammar approach, Mastronarde seems to be the way to go.
I personally studied Greek using the old Crosby and Schaefer text. I don't think I'd recommend this, though it is considered a classic. One point I did like: It clearly connected Greek grammar and forms to corresponding Latin ones, which I think is very helpful if you already know Latin.
I will make this last point concerning Greek. Latin is a difficult language, but it is one that can be mastered thru self-study. I personally think this is extremely difficult with Greek, since I found far more things to ask questions about in Greek than in Latin; it is IMO worth trying to find a tutor if you want to improve.
) hardly qualifies me as an expert, but I can tell you what I've seen. The Athenaze Series takes an immersion approach, getting you reading right away and glossing over some of the difficulties. I've spent some time with this book, and personally prefer its approach for beginners, but it may not be your cup of tea. It's also cheap--you can find it for under $5 on Amazon--so how bad can it be? This would be my personal choice.
Hansen & Quinn and Mastronarde (probably the one you saw on Amazon) are other fairly recent texts that I often hear recommended. I've only skimmed these, but it is clear even from a quick look that Mastronarde emphasizes grammar and forms only in the beginning (i.e. very very little reading until deep in to the book). However, if you want a hard-grammar approach, Mastronarde seems to be the way to go.
I personally studied Greek using the old Crosby and Schaefer text. I don't think I'd recommend this, though it is considered a classic. One point I did like: It clearly connected Greek grammar and forms to corresponding Latin ones, which I think is very helpful if you already know Latin.
I will make this last point concerning Greek. Latin is a difficult language, but it is one that can be mastered thru self-study. I personally think this is extremely difficult with Greek, since I found far more things to ask questions about in Greek than in Latin; it is IMO worth trying to find a tutor if you want to improve.
It sounds like what you're talking about is in fact Koine, about which I have studied a small amount quasi-independently (my former Latin teacher helped me occasionally). I think so because you mentioned your church; if I assume incorrectly, tell me so. I am looking more into Attic, with the eventual intent of reading the Iliad and the Odyssey and perhaps some philosophy.
Edit: Never mind, looks like these are in fact Attic texts. The Athenaze looks good, reminds me of the Cambridge Latin texts, which I loved. No, I don't think I want to try to learn through a grammar-emphasizing text. The text I tried to use for Koine (Greek Without Grief) worked sort of like that, with passages at the end of each chapter from chapter 4 onward. It was designed to be used to help with reading the original New Testament using a textbook, however, not learn the entire language. I may try to find the Athenaze.
Edit: Never mind, looks like these are in fact Attic texts. The Athenaze looks good, reminds me of the Cambridge Latin texts, which I loved. No, I don't think I want to try to learn through a grammar-emphasizing text. The text I tried to use for Koine (Greek Without Grief) worked sort of like that, with passages at the end of each chapter from chapter 4 onward. It was designed to be used to help with reading the original New Testament using a textbook, however, not learn the entire language. I may try to find the Athenaze.
If your primary goal is to read Homer, a book to consider is Pharr's Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners. I subscribe to a mailing list on Biblical Greek, and the folks on there (some university classics scholars) rate this the best for Homeric Greek. You run thru lessons that get you thru Book I of the Iliad and leave you (hopefully) competent enough to tackle the rest on your own (with a good Greek Lexicon of course).
After looking through some of the other guides on there (especially the big one at http://amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/HLURRO039Q1V/ref=cm_srch_res_rpsy_alt/104-8869906-0102327) I think I probably want to go with a broader approach than Homer. Contrary to Vergil (which is up there in the most difficult Latin) Homer is apparently some of the easiest Greek in comparison to most. I falsely assumed when I started thinking about doing this I guess [/url]
[/url]