In Print:

LESSON 2 - Second Part / First Part
ACHILLES' GRIEF - From Homer's Iliad

by George Valsamis

This way, you will need a life only to find the basic meanings of the words of a single book. By learning Greek you will acquire a basic vocabulary and some familiarity with the formation of words and sentences, that will let you have at least an elementary instant perception of the text, before you need to search for anything. You will never know all Greek words. I don't know a lot of words. Even words that I know, I often explore more, as I did with κεῖμαι in this lesson.

It is very different to know something and to explain it, whether to yourself or to others. The Greek language is what it is, because those who spoke and wrote in it wanted to explain their instant perceptions as much as possible. In time and importance first is always the in-stant. The Greek speaking is like a battle of the Sophist against Cratylus, the concepts' struggle to communicate something of the οὐσίαν ὄντος. The Greek language, primarily, is the equivalent of Greek painting and sculpture, not what we'd call today "expressionist", but an attempt to be saved in language what could not be saved in reality.

In the beginning, where you are now, you have to treat a sentence as if it were a secret code, your dictionary being a magnifier and yourself a detective. Consider it like a game - this is Lynn Sherr's (ABC news) approach, which I accept and suggest: " Studying classical Greek was, to me, not only fun and fascinating and eye-opening, it was like a puzzle -; a new secret code -; endlessly delightful despite having to learn all those declensions." Maybe you will also be able to see, that reading Greek, even in the beginning, is not like deciphering some secret code whatever, but deciphering a precious secret code…

If you study carefully, you will soon be able to have an instant perception of the text. You will still play the detective - but the secrets will get always fewer and always more important. You must read as much as you can, and then read more…

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/lessons/lesson2b.asp?pg=10