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Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 24th, 2012, 10:48 pm
by GlennDean
I was wondering if anybody could recommend a Greek online TV show - one that someone that was somewhere between beginner/intermediate might benefit from listening to? It could be anything, from a children's program, to a news broadcast, to a sports channel, but just something I could get to online. I wouldn't mind "playing it" while I surf the www.

Over where I live we have so many spanish speaking television stations, that got me thinking "I wonder if there's a Greek television program, or may be something online?". No Greek television programs over here, so I'm looking for online programs.

thanξs!

Glenn

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 25th, 2012, 6:26 am
by Barry Hofstetter
Glenn, such a program would help you with modern Greek, but not with ancient Greek. A number of people recently have posted ancient and especially Koine Greek videos to youtube of late where they are speaking Koine, some of them members of B-Greek.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 25th, 2012, 10:34 am
by GlennDean
That's where I originally started looking - over at YouTube. I think I've "exhausted" the Koine Greek videos at YouTube. One nice video is of a guy reading 1John 1:5-9, another has 4 lessons on Koine Greek, and all kinds of videos on "here's how to pronounce the alphabet". I think what I'm looking for is something that's dynamic (changing all the time) and that I could "play for hours" (may be more as "background noise").

Wouldn't listening to Greek help somewhat with my Koine Greek (aren't they similar enough that there would be value to listening to modern Greek speakers)? I know there are differences (for example how does one pronounce the "omicron" vowel).

Glenn

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 25th, 2012, 10:27 pm
by Barry Hofstetter
GlennDean wrote:That's where I originally started looking - over at YouTube. I think I've "exhausted" the Koine Greek videos at YouTube. One nice video is of a guy reading 1John 1:5-9, another has 4 lessons on Koine Greek, and all kinds of videos on "here's how to pronounce the alphabet". I think what I'm looking for is something that's dynamic (changing all the time) and that I could "play for hours" (may be more as "background noise").

Wouldn't listening to Greek help somewhat with my Koine Greek (aren't they similar enough that there would be value to listening to modern Greek speakers)? I know there are differences (for example how does one pronounce the "omicron" vowel).

Glenn
Glenn, there also significant changes in vocabulary, morphology and syntax. I think you are better off reading real ancient Greek.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 7:16 am
by RandallButh
GlennDean wrote: Wouldn't listening to Greek help somewhat with my Koine Greek (aren't they similar enough that there would be value to listening to modern Greek speakers)? I know there are differences (for example how does one pronounce the "omicron" vowel).

Glenn
Listening to a modern Greek reading of NT or ancient Greek texts can be of benefit. However, your example of omikron happens to be a place where Koine and modern are the same. The main difference between Koine and modern is with η, υ, οι. The rest is basically the same.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 11:00 am
by GlennDean
RandallButh wrote:However, your example of omikron happens to be a place where Koine and modern are the same.
Thanxs - I've always thought that Modern Greek speakers spoke omicron as an "a" sound. May be you could clear up a long standing misunderstanding I've had - I've heard many pastors, during their sermons, say something like

"And the apostle Paul .... . The word apostle comes from the greek word ἀπόστολος (and then they pronouce it as a-pas-ta-las)"

so I've always thought the omicron was pronounced as "a". So what type of Greek are they speaking when they pronounce it as "a-pas-ta-las"? If it isn't Koine, and it isn't Modern, then what type is it?

Glenn

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 11:17 am
by RandallButh
GlennDean wrote:
RandallButh wrote:However, your example of omikron happens to be a place where Koine and modern are the same.
Thanxs - I've always thought that Modern Greek speakers spoke omicron as an "a" sound. May be you could clear up a long standing misunderstanding I've had - I've heard many pastors, during their sermons, say something like

"And the apostle Paul .... . The word apostle comes from the greek word ἀπόστολος (and then they pronouce it as a-pas-ta-las)"

so I've always thought the omicron was pronounced as "a". So what type of Greek are they speaking when they pronounce it as "a-pas-ta-las"? If it isn't Koine, and it isn't Modern, then what type is it?

Glenn
I call that, tongue-in-cheek, Astartean, because in that funny-US-Greek, Greek αἰνεῖτε τὸν θεόν 'praise God' [Koine: εnitε ton θεon] becomes 'praise the goddess' [US-Greek: ayneytε tan θεan].
For more information, you should probably read through the 'Greek pronunciation' paper at biblicallanguagecenter.com. It compares various pronunciation systems and provides first century evidence on Koine.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 12:21 pm
by Eeli Kaikkonen
RandallButh wrote: I call that, tongue-in-cheek, Astartean
It has also been called "Lagas Greek" because the common word λογος becomes λαγας. Whatever my opinion is worth of, this Americanism is the worst kind of insult towards the rest of the world. I would have listened Bill Mounce's audio lectures but had to stop after the first minutes because I couldn't stand his pronounciation... and I really did want to listen to them.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 12:54 pm
by RandallButh
Eeli Kaikkonen wrote:
RandallButh wrote: I call that, tongue-in-cheek, Astartean
It has also been called "Lagas Greek" because the common word λογος becomes λαγας. Whatever my opinion is worth of, this Americanism is the worst kind of insult towards the rest of the world. I would have listened Bill Mounce's audio lectures but had to stop after the first minutes because I couldn't stand his pronounciation... and I really did want to listen to them.
Thank you for your candid confirmation. It can be quite difficult trying to convince some Americans to consider changing from "Lagas". The change is indeed a 'win-win' for everyone.

Re: Are there any Greek online TV programs?

Posted: October 26th, 2012, 1:01 pm
by Stephen Carlson
GlennDean wrote:so I've always thought the omicron was pronounced as "a". So what type of Greek are they speaking when they pronounce it as "a-pas-ta-las"? If it isn't Koine, and it isn't Modern, then what type is it?
It would be the βαβαρική type.