I have just returned home from the first day of a two-day precessional on Koine, the dialect of ancient Greek in which the New Testament was written. This is part of my theological study for 2007, and, if I hope to ever be a minister one day (that is, assuming I'm accepted as a candidate), I must complete at least one semester of study in either Koine or Hebrew.
I will try to convey to you my first impressions as succinctly and as accurately as possible:
OH - MY -GOD!!!!
Make no mistake, dear reader, I was under no illusions that this subject would be anything but difficult. But having no illusions is not quite the same as understanding the cold, brutal, frightening reality.
The lecturer was keen to dispel any misconceptions which I and my fellow students may have nurtured. In pleasantly conversational tones, he informed the class at the beginning of the day that Koine is a subject that produces a high "casualty rate" among students in terms of failures and drop outs. I know he was simply telling us what we were letting ourselves in for - I just wish he hadn't been smiling when he said it! Nor was I comforted by his assurances that dropping out or failing was okay; I don't want to drop out or fail, I want to pass, so that if I am selected as a ministry candidate, I won't have to worry about learning another language in order to successfully complete my candidature
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean, as if learning a new alphabet wasn't bad enough, there's the grammar. I don't even know the first thing about English grammar, never mind that pertaining to an extinct dialect of ancient Greek! Subjectives, participles, tenses, cases, infinitives, and on and on and on....and, hey, just because I do a bit of scribbling in my spare time doesn't mean I actually know anything about the way my mother tongue is constructed. I'm a writer, not a grammarian!
It needs hardly be said that the rest of the day was a real slog, and I made a complete hash of everything; I could barely write the alphabet out coherently, never mind do any transliterating.
I really don't remember much of the train trip home; and I certainly hope none of the neighbours noticed the foetal ball I collapsed into when I staggered through the front door. I think this is just going to be a case of lots and lots of study and lots of hard work in order to scrape a bare pass...but I'll be damned if I drop out. I've already made the investment, I can't afford to.
There is one bright side: my Dearly Beloved has a real facility for languages - afterall, she speaks and teaches Chinese, and speaks one or two other languages besides. I really, really, really hope some of that facility rubs off on me.
Talk to you soon,
BB
Quote for the Day: In language, the ignorant have prescribed laws to the learned. (Richard Duppa)
I will try to convey to you my first impressions as succinctly and as accurately as possible:
OH - MY -GOD!!!!
Make no mistake, dear reader, I was under no illusions that this subject would be anything but difficult. But having no illusions is not quite the same as understanding the cold, brutal, frightening reality.
The lecturer was keen to dispel any misconceptions which I and my fellow students may have nurtured. In pleasantly conversational tones, he informed the class at the beginning of the day that Koine is a subject that produces a high "casualty rate" among students in terms of failures and drop outs. I know he was simply telling us what we were letting ourselves in for - I just wish he hadn't been smiling when he said it! Nor was I comforted by his assurances that dropping out or failing was okay; I don't want to drop out or fail, I want to pass, so that if I am selected as a ministry candidate, I won't have to worry about learning another language in order to successfully complete my candidature
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean, as if learning a new alphabet wasn't bad enough, there's the grammar. I don't even know the first thing about English grammar, never mind that pertaining to an extinct dialect of ancient Greek! Subjectives, participles, tenses, cases, infinitives, and on and on and on....and, hey, just because I do a bit of scribbling in my spare time doesn't mean I actually know anything about the way my mother tongue is constructed. I'm a writer, not a grammarian!
It needs hardly be said that the rest of the day was a real slog, and I made a complete hash of everything; I could barely write the alphabet out coherently, never mind do any transliterating.
I really don't remember much of the train trip home; and I certainly hope none of the neighbours noticed the foetal ball I collapsed into when I staggered through the front door. I think this is just going to be a case of lots and lots of study and lots of hard work in order to scrape a bare pass...but I'll be damned if I drop out. I've already made the investment, I can't afford to.
There is one bright side: my Dearly Beloved has a real facility for languages - afterall, she speaks and teaches Chinese, and speaks one or two other languages besides. I really, really, really hope some of that facility rubs off on me.
Talk to you soon,
BB
Quote for the Day: In language, the ignorant have prescribed laws to the learned. (Richard Duppa)
5 comments:
If it's any consolation, everyone I spoke to who was studying Greek last year spewed forth pretty similar sentiments to those you have.
It seemed they were all having a far more stressful time than we were in Hebrew class (mind you, our class also suffered a few casualties before the end of the semester)
Do yourself a favour- it's not too late to change to Hebrew!
Hey Caro:
Thanks for the sentiments, but I'm nothing if not an idiot, and I'll press on...I'm determined to get that bare pass, even if it costs me a complete mental breakdown...
BB
I had an extrodinarily similar experience with Accounting - the lecturer of smiling death, high failure rate, the works - and for business students at RMIT, Accounting is a core subject: you fail = no degree! And NO standardisation (unlike statistics!)
I held those same sentiments right up to and including the commencment of the exam (not withstanding I had 18/20 on the mid-semseter test). I managed to pass despite my fears and you're right, what got me to that point was lots of hours of hard slog ... but I FEEL your pain.
BW
Thanks for the sentiments, BW, but I'd actually prefer it if I could transfer my pain to you (but still get the benefit of passing)...any chance of you getting charitable this Lenten season, hmmm?
Not so much!
BW
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