First of all sir, ancient Greek is NOT a dead language, but a language that we Greeks (and not only)use still today, incorporated in the new Greek (as in English) and using in daily life. The pronunciation changed, but the words remained. The way sentences form changed of course. Some words we use as they were and some involved. Like nyx (night) became nykti (Koine)and then nychta (new) We also still follow the same writing system.(Orthography). You (or somebody else ) translated the sentence: <You shall worship....> the last word incorrect. The last word is not serve but adore.
I taught myself the basic Greek grammar in 3 months. Greek isn't as hard as some make it out to be, it is just there is a lot to commit to long term memory and that takes consistent daily effort and patience. I wish the vocabulary of the bible were just as easy to learn but unfortunately 5400 words takes about 2-3 years to learn. If one were to use Anki to learn 14 new words per day, it would take a year.
Greek is not a dead language. Most of the text you get in your video, I understand 80% or more, and many of the words are the same as those in Koine Greek, which is close to modern Greek. Don't forget that Koine, up until the '70s, was the official language, and then came the Demotic Greek that we speak today.
I have been learning Russian and Arabic for a long time. From that experience, I would suggest for anyone learning any foreign language, study deeply how a basic sentence is put together and learn its meaning in your most dominant language. Then go deep into inflections, declensions, verb conjugations, etc. etc.
What's the point of studying Latin or Ancient Greek? To read books, to speak to scholars or priests, to write letters or books, or to compose poetry. The universities used to teach in Latin until the 18th century, and some exams continued to be held in Latin well into the 19th century. The College of Physicians in London (founded 1518) usually held their oral exam in Latin until the 19th century, but there was the option for it to be held in Ancient Greek. Only a handful of people ever took up the offer. Verse composition used to be the summit of achievement at school or, more often, university. In England there used to be public examinations for National Scholarships, which paid for you to go to university before the local authorities started giving out grants (after the war) to everyone whose parents were not well off. These became assimilated into the GCE system as Special papers to be taken with or after A Levels. In Latin and Greek there were two standard S Level papers, and the option of a third in Verse Composition. I don't know if anyone took them in recent years. Oxford and Cambridge also offered cash prizes to undergraduates for poetry in the classical languages. That's rather like how Classical (Mandarin) Chinese used to be encouraged. I am not aware of anyone publishing these student compositions in modern times: they must still lie mouldering in the archives. That activity went on from about the 16th century.
My only concern is using this platform to impose ones religious beliefs on others by forcing them to read and re-read a religious doctrine. 2. Misleading others to believe the religious doctrine is of Greek origin and nature. The videos are otherwise pretty nice! But I am moving on.
Very helpful overview. Thank you! But why not start with the books of high school: gymnasium? Adolescents of 12 till about 18 year learn Greek and Latin and the books they use are excellent in creating a solid foundation of these classic languages. And as a bonus they introduce a lot of interesting history and geography.
All these people in the comment section complaining about how your pronunciation is trash need to GTFO! Perfect pronunciation in any language especially Ancient Greek difficult to achieve. That goes without saying I enjoyed your video and hope one day you will make more.
@wungabunga Why? The literature and intellectual output of Ancient Greek is far, far, far superior to anything the Romans did. Latin literature absolutely sucks and is in every way inferior to what the Germans, the French, and the British accomplished in creative literature.
I've started learning Koine Greek, or Hellenistic Greek, which is the ancient Greek of the Greek New Testament. I'm self-teaching using Dave Black's book "Learn to Read New Testament Greek" and his FREE RU-vid companion classes, which are proving very invaluable. See www.youtube.com/@daveblack6367 for all the videos covering the chapters. He has a great teaching style, which keeps students engaged. I've looked around, and it's difficult to get part-time Koine Greek-only classes in my city, Sydney. The universities or seminaries want you to take it as part of a degree or diploma, as a working individual I don't really want a degree in divinity or a diploma in ancient languages, I just want to read the GNT in its original form. This makes Dave Black's book and free videos very attractive. NB If one wants to read Plato then you need to learn Attic Greek or Classical Greek as its known.
Great videos and discussion. I agree that for older people it isn't easy to adjust the way your mind processes language so as to "get" Greek syntax. I studied Greek as an 11 year old and believe me it was much easier with my flexible little brain back then. One thing my teacher told me was read the whole Greek sentence and only then translate it. Don't try to translate word for word as you go along. Try a "holistic" translation approach. It will get easier the more you practice this way.
Instead of thinking that you have to climb Grammar Mountain, it's more fun to think of skiing DOWN Grammar Mountain. Your aim is an exhilarating, precarious and often scary race down to your final goal, having a whooping great time all the way. As the Greeks say, "Opa"!
Not to argue with this as I think your points are spot on but learning Modern Greek really does help you to learn Ancient Greek. By this I mean learning to speak Modern Greek. You will find that you will pick up grammar more naturally and firmly if you speak Greek and you will have constant and motivating "aha" moments concerning vocabulary, etymology and so on. Find a good Greek program such as Pimsleur or better yet a native Greek speaker to practice with or even better go to Greece!
1:17 - I’m a “colourful local”, and you can talk to me in Ancient Greek to your heart’s content: I will understand what you say, and I will respond to you in the same language. As for (Ancient) Greek being a dead language, Ancient, Middle or Modern, I assure you: it’s all Greek to me...Greetings from Delphi, Greece! 🌿🏛🇬🇷
Using Blue , Red & Green for the Subject, Verb & Object of a sentence is a good idea, but you could have used the same schema in the example sentences to make it clearer for those without a firm grasp of grammar....and phonetic help for the Greek example?
Wow that pronunciation at the 50 second mark sounds like trash. And this text is completely understandable for someone knows modern Greek. Literally all the words are the same in MG, just with slightly different spellings.
The video makes clear that its message is that Ancient Greek is different _to (Modern) English_ , so this isn’t very relevant. But in any case it’s also very easy to see that in fact ancient Greek is not _completely_ understandable even to speakers of Modern Greek ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qe0_BKkfg6g.html , whatever one or two short example sentences might suggest.
Your flaw is you think modern pronunciation has anything to do with the ancient. Your additional flaw is thinking anyone knows how to pronounce classical Greek. A further flaw would be thinking anyone pronounced Koine the same. It was an urban slang dialect. So really, no one speaks any of the Greek correctly.
@@thomaswest4033 you should define Ancient Greek. Homeric? Classical? Hellenistic coine? Those are the three forms of “Ancient Greek”. A modern Greek can understand the koine form almost fluently, whilst 85% of the vocabulary in Homeric Greek is still in use today throughout the derivatives and the particles that keep reproducing this superb living tongue to this day. So it is simply “Greek”. According to UNESCO, Greek and Chinese are the only living languages with direct connection to their archaic origins on the planet. Only one who speaks modern Greek fluently can partake in this blissful timelessness, to the annoyance of those who would like to shun it. This may shed some light: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--BvKpk7SUrQ.html
I started with Pharr's Homeric Greek. The advantage is that you immediately get a story that will engage you as you learn the grammar and that the repetitive nature of epic aids in vocabulary acquisition. The disadvantage is that you do not learn the important conditions of Greek at the same formative stage as those who start with Attic and that the variations in vowel length in epic and some other poetic genres do not carry into prose.
Ancient Greek is not a dead language, it's the same language. However it has changed, but not to the extent of calling it a dead language. For example the phrase that you give from the Bible, can easily be read by a natve Greek speaker of today and thoroughly understood. It would be like a native English speaker reading Shakespeare, different yet understood. Perhaps, and most probably, you're confusing the Erasmus pronunciation as being the ancient Greek language.
@@teachandfunnstuff3127What you think and what is are two different things, furthermore, it is not a thousand years, it's more closer to three thousand years. What you think! Are you serious, you are either a troll, a child, or a complete fool.
Truly a view from the foothills of Greek’s Grammar Mountain. Speaking as an average Joe, your description of the trail is spot on. I laughed out loud when I saw JACT, Greek to GCSE and Athenaze straddling the peak. Nice to know that other mere mortals have struggled to gain a foothold as much as myself. Thanks for the video, I haven’t seen any other so relatable a video as this in 8 years of study.
Goes without saying you are an absolutely wonderful teacher and presenter. My bf and I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. We wish there was more! Part 4 pls!!!
Ancient Greek is not a dead language. Ancient Greek isn't a language. Greek is the language. "Ancient" (Classical Attic in this case) is just its form at a certain point in history.
@@genesisbustamante-durian no. What twisted logic is that? The language is Greek. Archaic, Ancient, Hellenistic Koine, Modern are just different points of its age. Is your 5 years old self dead because now you 've got older!? Jeez, what is wrong with everyone and is so passionate to "kill our" language? It's not darn Latin which was a different language and now it has been replaced with its descendant Romance language, Greek is the same language ffs!
@@eleftheriosmas Old Spanish is dead, Old English is dead. Old French is dead. Homeric Greek is dead. Attic Greek is dead. Proto-German is dead. Old High German is dead. Latin is dead. It's easy to understand.
@@genesisbustamante-durian the language is a live organism. This is the way you have to perceive this entity. Doesn't die it transforms it may be modified ...it's glossoplasticity generates new meanings or reshape older... The point is that Greek of the mentioned era as well other live daily with us ...through expression, words grammar , you will be amazed how many thousands of words we are using ! :)
Classical Attic Greek was spoken around the same time as proto Germanic, and long before old English. Like those, it was an older, much older, version of the language than is spoken today and it is not intelligible to the modern speakers for all that it is the ancestor of the language today. Classical Attic Greek is no more modern Greek than proto Germanic is Berliner Deutsch or Old English as you might find in Beowulf is modern OED English. I can read and write and speak in English rather fluently, and because of that I can readily understand most of Shakespeare, but the original of Beowulf is nearly entirely beyond me (and then only my vague familiarity with old Norse and German give me a leg up on figuring anything out and I’m still wrong almost as often as I’m right). Modern Greek is undeniably and distinctly the direct and immediate descendent of Classical Attic Greek and a modern Greek native speaker would be better able to decipher most Classical Attic Greek texts than a native Mandarin Chinese speaker or a native English speaker, but just as King Charles is the direct descendant of Queen Victoria without that changing the fact that she herself is dead and he is not her, so Modern Greek being descended from Classical Attic Greek does not change the fact that it is itself dead as a widespread conversational language and they are not the same despite definite familiar resemblance.
Well, you should pronounce Greek the way a Greeks would. The made up erasmian or any other unnatural system of pronouncing Greek of any era is pointless, unless you are a linguist. Copy and paste into google translate any Greek text, and google translate will do a good job reading the sounds for you.
@@lilskinny9141 Modern Greek is the natural progression of Greek. And it sounds a lot more like Ancient Greek than not, The erasmian pronunciation lucks any legitimacy.
Depends on your definition of "more like Ancient Greek than not". Loss of vowel length plus iotacism plus general lenition all contribute to a noticeable difference between Ancient Greek and Modern Greek, much the same way Old English and Modern English differ in many ways. There's a debate to be had with how to pronounce Ancient Greek, and I don't think it's "pointless" for non-linguists to try to replicate the sound of Ancient Greek, or any older/classical language for that matter, in a more faithful manner than its modern descendants, or even for purely aesthetic reasons; every pronunciation convention has its place (even Erasmian, so long as it's not played as truly historical).
@@acstamos I'm not talking about the erasmian pronunciation. I'm talking about the reconstructed pronunciation. That is, χ as aspirated k rather than ch, and so on. I see no reason to learn ancient greek with the modern greek pronunciation rather than the reconstructed one. The argument that we don't really know what the pronunciation was like is, btw., simply not true.
@@lilskinny9141 What is the point of posting in this thread if my replies are deleted? Any way, if you are learning classical greek for its pronunciation, more power to you. Unless you are a linguist, what is the point? From your statement above I can only conclude that you don't have a real appreciation of the power of expression and the beauty and versatility of its syntax. To each his/her own.
