THE Article

In Greek we do not have articles. We only have "the" article. That is, only the definite article exists in Greek. While this may seem like a simplification at first glance, the definite article in Greek needs to agree with the noun it proceeds in case (nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative), gender (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and number (singular or plural). So, while Modern English has one word for the definite article "the" Greek has 17 distinct ways of writing and pronouncing the definite article relative to case, gender, and number (topics we will cover later).

Surprisingly, English did not always have an article without declinations. Compare the charts below to see how similar Old English (the English of Beowulf) and Greek are in regards to the definite article.

The Greek Article

The English Articles

Before jumping into the Greek article we should first do a little review of the English articles. To begin with, what exactly is an article grammatically speaking? In English we have two different types. They are the word "the" and the word "a" (or "an" when the following word begins with a vowel). The word "the" is called the definite article since it indicates that the noun it precedes is something that is known or is a definable entity. The word "a" (or an) is the indefinite article and does not indicate a specific or known object. Let's look at an example to draw these concepts out.

1. The boy gave him the apple. definite article

2. The boy gave him an apple. indefinite article

In number one, we know that the apple being given is a known apple since "the" precedes the noun apple. For instance, a possible expansion on this sentence could be:

A young boy walked down the road with a basket of apples. During this walk, he saw a poor man and took compassion him. He reached into the basket and grabbed the best apple he could find. The boy did not hesitate, he gave him the apple.

When a definite article is used we should be able to answer the question. Which or what? That is, what apple did the boy give? In this case we can say "the apple the boy grabbed from the basket" and "the best apple the boy could find".

In the case of number two, we don't know any additional information about the apple. We could suspect to see it used in the following context.

The boy walked down the road with a basket of apples. He saw a poor man, took compassion on him, and gave him an apple.

In this case we can't say anything additional about the apple, thus the use of the word "an". Sure one could argue that the apple was taken from the basket but we don't know this. In fact, the boy could have been carrying both a basket of apples AND an apple in his hand. The use of "an" suggests that we don't know anything additional about the apple the boy gave.

Language Learning Methods and Motivation

Mounce does a great job of preparing students of Biblical Greek by addressing basic English grammar concepts in Chapter 5. This information is absolutely essential for the acquisition of almost any foreign language. While it is true that children often learn language by simply absorbing the language that is around them, those of us who take on a second (or third) language are sometimes at the distinct disadvantage of living in an environment very much saturated with our native tongue and not the language we are attempting to acquire. This is particularly true for those of us residing in the United States, which in many regions, is linguistically landlocked, for lack of a better expression.

Beyond the geographic considerations, the adult mind functions quite differently than a child's mind. For instance, the adult mind is not going through a process of maturation. Secondly, a child's mind does not have a dominant language to contend with (or work with for that matter). Oh, and don't forget a child's vocabulary is not as robust as an adult's vocabulary. More words equals more time. The comparison really is apples to oranges.

For the adult learner it has been found that languages are better taught in an explicit manner where grammar is openly talked about. This does not mean that simply listening to a recorded passage of the target language is not useful. In fact, it is very important. The human ear needs to be exposed to the target language so that the ear can be trained in making useful distinctions in speech sounds and syllable boundaries; a skill not usually explicitly learned.

While listening and speaking may benefit from a more implicit type of instruction, writing and reading seems to most benefit from an explicit method of instruction. So, if you ever find yourself in a situation where someone looks to you for direction on which methods of language acquisition are the best, you have to ask them what their honest goals are and/or what they think language proficiency is. With their goals known you are much better equipped to suggest implicit or explicit methods or better yet, my favorite, both of them. But before you let them tackle that new language you should take a little time to tell them that, really, the main issue is not the methods that they use, but the constant danger of a ebbing motivation. In my opinion it is more important to keep it fun, keep it lively, and keep it going. Methods don't amount to much if you're no longer motivated to use them.

Areas of Language

Expressive Language

• Oral (implicit)
  
• Written (explicit)
  

Receptive Language

• Listening (implicit)
  
• Reading (explicit)
  

Some Language Program Slogans that are a little off the mark.

"The Fastest Way To Learn A Language. Guaranteed" --speed should not be a preoccupation
"Learn a Second Language Like You Learned Your First" --if you are old enough to fall for this slogan then you're too old to learn a second language like your first. You are cognitively too different.

The Greek Alphabet

α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ σ (ς) τ υ φ χ ψ ω

Vowels are in red.

I know that sometimes singing can feel a little silly but it is crucial in memorizing new alphabets. Please, sing along with this Greek alphabet song that I found on youtube until you got it down pat!

The Necessary Gear

KOINE GREEK

1) Books

• Basics of Biblical Greek by William D. Mounce 3rd Edition
• Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook by William D. Mounce 3rd Edition
• A Reader's Greek New Testament Goodrich & Lukaszewski 2nd Edition

2) Audio Aids

• Sing and Learn New Testament Greek by Kenneth Berding
• Readings in the Greek New Testament read by Jonathan T. Pennington

3) Other Supplementary Materials

• Basics of Biblical Greek Flashcards (Mounce)

4) Online Resources

• www.teknia.com