Vocabulary Acquisition

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kingbenlucas
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Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by kingbenlucas »

Hey,

My question is quite simple. Which words to learn! In the NT I have become accustomed to learning words by frequency, but this practice becomes more difficult when spreading my wings. Ultimately I wish to read fluently through the Greek Church Fathers which means thousands of pages in English.

Is it worth biting the bullet and simply learning every single word I see? I've done this a bit and found I spend little time reading and a long time reviewing vocab. Are there any wiser ways in which to select those words which are worth reviewing?

Thank you in advance.

Benjamin.

C. S. Bartholomew
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by C. S. Bartholomew »

kingbenlucas wrote:. Ultimately I wish to read fluently through the Greek Church Fathers which means thousands of pages in English.

Is it worth biting the bullet and simply learning every single word I see? I've done this a bit and found I spend little time reading and a long time reviewing vocab. Are there any wiser ways in which to select those words which are worth reviewing.

Benjamin.
I would find out what the word means in the context you are currently reading. If the word comes up again in a different context it will need to be reevaluated with regard to that context so memorizing a gloss isn't of much value. Some very common words need to be reevaluated frequently. For example τυγχάνω is a word with numerous
C. Stirling Bartholomew

C. S. Bartholomew
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by C. S. Bartholomew »

kingbenlucas wrote:. Ultimately I wish to read fluently through the Greek Church Fathers which means thousands of pages in English.

Is it worth biting the bullet and simply learning every single word I see? I've done this a bit and found I spend little time reading and a long time reviewing vocab. Are there any wiser ways in which to select those words which are worth reviewing.

Benjamin.
I would find out what every word means in the context you are currently reading. If a word comes up again in a different context it will need to be reevaluated with regard to that context so memorizing a gloss isn't of much value. Some very common words need to be reevaluated frequently. For example τυγχάνω is a word with numerous shades of meaning. So learning a word like τυγχάνω takes a lot of reading. I don't know if there is a handy sized lexicon for the Church Fathers, certainly flipping trough Lampe will drive you insane. There are hyperlinked e-texts for the more commonly studied Church Fathers but they are expensive and reading that way has its drawbacks. I have the Apostolic Fathers and have used it on occasion but my vocabulary didn't improve from doing it.

One approach that might make the task more manageable is to focus on one author until you have his vocabulary mastered. Read and reread until you have his works nailed down.
C. Stirling Bartholomew

kingbenlucas
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by kingbenlucas »

Thank you for your reply. My current practice is to find the definition (not gloss) in either BDAG or Muraoka's Septuagint lexicon and put the Greek for recall on the back of the flashcard.

Is it a waste of time to read through a passage, looking up words, and not to memorise any vocabulary but simply to look it up again if necessary?

C. S. Bartholomew
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by C. S. Bartholomew »

kingbenlucas wrote:Thank you for your reply. My current practice is to find the definition (not gloss) in either BDAG or Muraoka's Septuagint lexicon and put the Greek for recall on the back of the flashcard.

Is it a waste of time to read through a passage, looking up words, and not to memorise any vocabulary but simply to look it up again if necessary?
No it is not a waste of time. That's what I do every day. The words will become familiar over time. Some words which you think you know will turn out to be notoriously complex. This happens with very common words for example ἵνα in Koine which needs to be studied as historical development.

Writing things down helps you remember them so keeping notes on reading is a good idea. Some people make their own inter-liner. Any sort of writing or speaking reinforces the learning process.
C. Stirling Bartholomew

strnbrg
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by strnbrg »

I try to learn (through the usual flashcard technique) almost all nouns I encounter, because (1) they usually have a straightforward translation into English and (2) names of things are cool.

The other thing I'd encourage you to do is chuck cards and adopt one of the many fine flashcard apps for Android or iPhone. They're great at deciding how often you should review a word (based on how well you seem to know it), and you have your deck of cards in your pocket wherever you are. I learn Greek while waiting on line at the supermarket!

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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by daivid »

The time to lean a new word is when you have just encountered it so learning every new word I find to be useful. I don't however try to learn those words so thoroughly that I never forget them. If you are spending more time than reading then maybe your method of learning is too thorough. I put new words in a database that allows me to give myself a quiz and I quickly go through them first thing every day. The flash card apps mentioned by strnbrg achieve the same end.

Possibly the most useful thing is to reread and read aloud - that way you are not only leaning the words in context but also internalizing the grammar. By that I don't mean a single marathon session but going back to a piece that you have read a few days ago etc.
Last edited by daivid on Sun Dec 07, 2014 1:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jeidsath
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Re: Vocabulary Acquisition

Post by jeidsath »

Vocabulary is the one thing that hasn't given me too much trouble.

Read lots! Use either an interlinear or a reader's lexicon plus a translation at first. Refer to them until you can read your chosen text without them. Then move on to the next paragraph. The point is speed and efficiency. Looking up words in a general lexicon is fun and useful...but learn a few thousand words first.

Eventually you will get to the point where you can read through a passage in English and then read it in Greek, acquiring new vocabulary as you go. And after that you will get to the point where you can read it just the Greek and pick up the words that you don't know from context.

In the Koine forum, I have a post about a text 5 centuries past anything that I've read before. I'm having to look up every other word. It's fun, but not really efficient. Also, I have lots of English definitions floating around in my head for all these words now, but very little Greek context.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

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