Managing Time as a Self-Taught Beginner

Shirley Rollinson
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Joined: June 4th, 2011, 6:19 pm
Location: New Mexico
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Re: Managing Time as a Self-Taught Beginner

Post by Shirley Rollinson »

Drusilla Sawyer wrote:Well, I started my new job about a month ago and since then, really have done no studying of any NT Greek whatsoever. I take a relatively short lunch break at work so I have no time to do any Greek study on my break like I used to at my old job.

How do people adapt their schedules to learn some NT Greek? I work a second shift job currently, but even I have limited time in the morning before work. I really want to progress instead of falling backwards but I just have had no motivation to learn lately. Work jump starts my stress and anxiety.

I decided a while ago that I would go back to Dobson's "Learn New Testament Greek" and take a break from MacNair's "Teach Yourself New Testament Greek." I found that cycling between two books at once is difficult; I think I should only use MacNair's if I finish Dobson's book or if I need clarification on something that Dobson didn't explain well in his book. Both are excellent in how they teach, but I just find I can't do both at once.

I want to step forward and immerse myself in the language again but it's just so hard for me to find time or a set schedule.
I much prefer Dobson's book - so I'd say stck with that. You might also start reading/memorizing short passages from the GNT. For example, before starting lunch each day, read (aloud if possible) the first line of the Lord's Prayer. After a week, add the next line; then after another week, add the next line - until you've got it all.
It's how I start my Greek classes - and the students have it all memorized in a couple of months, starting from scratch.
Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Re: Managing Time as a Self-Taught Beginner

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Drusilla Sawyer wrote:I'll also add this. I've actually DREAMED speaking in NT Greek. Who knew? I was quite surprised when I woke up one day and realized I dreamed about words I knew (silly easy words, like "God"). Too bad I couldn't dream about words I didn't completely remember. Silly brain, I think better when I sleep. If only I could think as good as when I'm awake!
This dream stage as a reaction to new input is a fairly normal thing that I have experienced to some degree at the new vocabulary acquisition stage over a wide range of languages. And as Drusilla says, " I dreamed speaking in NT Greek" (or whatever language). The speaking is usually "perfect" but when I wake up I have the feeing of mastery of the grammar or words. It guess this type of noctural reaction to (language) input stimuli is a normal human reaction. After waking up, it then it takes some time and study to realise that mastery.

HOWEVER, during the Memrise learning process that I have described here (http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/forum/vie ... 880#p11880) it hasn't happened at all, which is uncommon for me. I think that by learning vocabulary by association and repetition in the Memrise way, I am acquiring a resource not a skill like an internal vocab list. Perhaps at a later stage I will be able incorporate these words into my language processing. I think perhaps relating words to words is a very intellectual thing. Maybe audio is lacking?! Perhaps if there was audio in the learing process then there might be the dreaming to let it become language not just logic or habituated associations.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
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