AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREEK
Ancient Greek is the language of the earliest great literature of Europe. It ranges from Homer’s epics to the lyrical poets Sappho and Pindar, the tragedies of Euripides, the comedies of Aristophanes, the histories of Herodotus and Xenophon, the philosophy of Plato and on to the New Testament. We will start learning the basics of Attic, the Greek in use in Athens in the 5th and 4th century BC, and in which much of the literature is written. Attic is also the basis of the koine Greek of the New Testament.
Course Outline:
- an introduction to the Ancient Greek world
- presentation of the Greek alphabet and practice in reading aloud in Greek
- presentation of the definite article, the three noun and adjective declensions and the present indicative, active and middle / passive of the verb. Adverbs and pronouns will also be covered
- translation of simple sentences and passages from Greek and into Greek
- possibility of looking at extracts from some easy original texts such as Xenophon’s Anabasis (the story of the Greek army’s long march out of Persia under enemy attack), Aesop’s Fables and the New Testament
- short presentations on aspects of ancient Athenian life, literature and culture
- the influence of Ancient Greek on English
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course learners will be able to
- read texts in the Greek alphabet and pronounce them correctly
- recognise grammatical phenomena in texts and apply their grammatical knowledge in word formation
- translate simple, short texts from Ancient Greek into English
- understand many English words derived from Ancient Greek
- appreciate the place of Ancient Greece in European culture
- move on with confidence to undertake further study of Ancient Greek
Eight two hour classes. Please enquire regarding price.
THIS COURSE IS REGULARLY TAUGHT IN AUCKLAND.