J. Bradley Bulsterbaum
Posted: January 19th, 2012, 3:51 am
Hello.
My study of languages consists mostly of Spanish, with a lot of looking back on English in that pursuit. I have had some Latin texts in front of me for a while now, but not consistently, because I have had to work so much for the past few years. Before that, I was studying biology. I might even have gone back by now, if it weren't for a family member needing immediate care/oversight/help: that got in some hot water at work for causing difficulties, and I was suspended (hurray!) temporarily, which allowed me to get a car for finally having some free time (which would have meant those difficulties wouldn't have arisen again, and also that I would have saved about four hours per day communicating between work and home).
But I returned to find myself unscheduled, to my very own manager's surprise (he was not a normal manager, but higher-up, so didn't deal directly with scheduling matters); he had me go home for the day and return on my next regularly scheduled day, whereupon I found myself canned (but also many others--including my former manager). For which I am now exploring how I might re-start a pursuit in Greek. I started up once, only to find myself greatly hindered in anything by a health issue (the same that knocked me out of school), but before that had looked-up reconstructions of the sound system, using reading about Spanish linguistics to decipher Buth's work; I heard how interesting and useful Funk's Hellenic Volumes were, and acquired them a few hours later (got lucky); I was also going to attend some classes down the street of my university town at the local presence of CCSI (Centers for Christian Studies International), the only outfit in town that taught Koine and was able to provide credits through a university for the work one did: I learned about it through a friend.
Nowadays I am out there looking for work, making sure that when I need get out that my relative is deposited safely with her sister, but for having free time am perusing various sites on the language. I am thinking about joining the next Beginner's course at quasillum.org, but do not know whether I want to start in the Koine, or start instead with Ionic or Attic (I intend to make this a lifelong hobby anyways). All are studied over there anyways. Thoughts? Suggestions?
I thought it would be proper to make an introduction, even if not so interesting or without much to show in it. I have perused the lists before, and fell back onto this site after looking-up Funk's grammar again checking to see whether it was currently available or not for purchase, or even online because I was thinking about suggesting that a Funk group be started on quasillum. To my great surprise, it is!
So suggestions and tips are welcome. I have Funk, I know of Robertson's tome (seeing that here too is awesome); for that I was about to start Greek studies with the CCSI folks, I have Mounce's Beginner's...and just because I found it cheap at a used bookstore, Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond... I am also very curious about whether experienced students think it better to start with Koine, then look back on Classical given that perhaps one would take the wrong notions and semantics from the Koine texts for starting with Classical and given, as I have been told, Classical tends to be more difficult, or start with Classical, then move on to Koine.
As with suggestions, considerations on such topics, and insight of experienced students, are welcome.
My study of languages consists mostly of Spanish, with a lot of looking back on English in that pursuit. I have had some Latin texts in front of me for a while now, but not consistently, because I have had to work so much for the past few years. Before that, I was studying biology. I might even have gone back by now, if it weren't for a family member needing immediate care/oversight/help: that got in some hot water at work for causing difficulties, and I was suspended (hurray!) temporarily, which allowed me to get a car for finally having some free time (which would have meant those difficulties wouldn't have arisen again, and also that I would have saved about four hours per day communicating between work and home).
But I returned to find myself unscheduled, to my very own manager's surprise (he was not a normal manager, but higher-up, so didn't deal directly with scheduling matters); he had me go home for the day and return on my next regularly scheduled day, whereupon I found myself canned (but also many others--including my former manager). For which I am now exploring how I might re-start a pursuit in Greek. I started up once, only to find myself greatly hindered in anything by a health issue (the same that knocked me out of school), but before that had looked-up reconstructions of the sound system, using reading about Spanish linguistics to decipher Buth's work; I heard how interesting and useful Funk's Hellenic Volumes were, and acquired them a few hours later (got lucky); I was also going to attend some classes down the street of my university town at the local presence of CCSI (Centers for Christian Studies International), the only outfit in town that taught Koine and was able to provide credits through a university for the work one did: I learned about it through a friend.
Nowadays I am out there looking for work, making sure that when I need get out that my relative is deposited safely with her sister, but for having free time am perusing various sites on the language. I am thinking about joining the next Beginner's course at quasillum.org, but do not know whether I want to start in the Koine, or start instead with Ionic or Attic (I intend to make this a lifelong hobby anyways). All are studied over there anyways. Thoughts? Suggestions?
I thought it would be proper to make an introduction, even if not so interesting or without much to show in it. I have perused the lists before, and fell back onto this site after looking-up Funk's grammar again checking to see whether it was currently available or not for purchase, or even online because I was thinking about suggesting that a Funk group be started on quasillum. To my great surprise, it is!
So suggestions and tips are welcome. I have Funk, I know of Robertson's tome (seeing that here too is awesome); for that I was about to start Greek studies with the CCSI folks, I have Mounce's Beginner's...and just because I found it cheap at a used bookstore, Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond... I am also very curious about whether experienced students think it better to start with Koine, then look back on Classical given that perhaps one would take the wrong notions and semantics from the Koine texts for starting with Classical and given, as I have been told, Classical tends to be more difficult, or start with Classical, then move on to Koine.
As with suggestions, considerations on such topics, and insight of experienced students, are welcome.