http://www.ntdiscourse.org/2009/08/reading-or-solving-a-puzzle-or-c-s-lewis-posts-to-b-greek/ Removing the mystery from discourse grammar Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:41:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.ntdiscourse.org/2009/08/reading-or-solving-a-puzzle-or-c-s-lewis-posts-to-b-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-700 Steve Runge Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:29:16 +0000 http://www.ntdiscourse.org/?p=772#comment-700 I think there can be a tendency to confuse the teaching of morphology and vocabulary with the development of competency in the language. The one necessary presupposes the other, but does not necessarily lead to the other. Modern language pedagogy provides a more natural way of learning the former, one that more naturally builds toward the latter. I do not get the sense that developing a polished translation was their objective. Translation was simply the medium of discussing what one had read, how one expressed his understanding of it. We have little other recourse today, short of conversing in Greek. Even then, one is simply restating in different words what was understood. Such restatement can be done in translation, but the ability to translate does not mean that understanding has been achieved. My comments have less to do about what should happen in class than with what should happen <strong>outside of </strong>class. I think there can be a tendency to confuse the teaching of morphology and vocabulary with the development of competency in the language. The one necessary presupposes the other, but does not necessarily lead to the other. Modern language pedagogy provides a more natural way of learning the former, one that more naturally builds toward the latter. I do not get the sense that developing a polished translation was their objective. Translation was simply the medium of discussing what one had read, how one expressed his understanding of it. We have little other recourse today, short of conversing in Greek. Even then, one is simply restating in different words what was understood. Such restatement can be done in translation, but the ability to translate does not mean that understanding has been achieved. My comments have less to do about what should happen in class than with what should happen outside of class.

]]> http://www.ntdiscourse.org/2009/08/reading-or-solving-a-puzzle-or-c-s-lewis-posts-to-b-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-699 Stephen Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:03:39 +0000 http://www.ntdiscourse.org/?p=772#comment-699 And yet Kirk's method is more grammar-translation than anything else, because his measure of understanding is the ability to translate. Lewis eventually began to think in Greek, yes, but that happened in spite of the methodology and not because of it. When grammar-translation succeeds in producing internalization, it's usually because students have a high aptitude for learning languages. Modern language pedagogy produces internalization much more efficiently than grammar-translation. The good points of Kirk's version, as opposed to grammar-translation as used by most Biblical Greek teachers today, is that he read the text aloud and required Lewis to read large portions at once, rather than a few disconnected sentences. And yet Kirk’s method is more grammar-translation than anything else, because his measure of understanding is the ability to translate. Lewis eventually began to think in Greek, yes, but that happened in spite of the methodology and not because of it. When grammar-translation succeeds in producing internalization, it’s usually because students have a high aptitude for learning languages. Modern language pedagogy produces internalization much more efficiently than grammar-translation. The good points of Kirk’s version, as opposed to grammar-translation as used by most Biblical Greek teachers today, is that he read the text aloud and required Lewis to read large portions at once, rather than a few disconnected sentences.

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