Learn Ancient Greek (Greek & Latin Language)
by Peter Jones
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List Price: ££12.00
Our Price: ££5.54
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 477
EAN: 9780715627587
ISBN: 0715627589
Label: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 222
Publication Date: 1998-04-24
Publisher: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd
Studio: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: So far so good
Comment: Well, I'm still only on page 12 but I've learned more about pronunciation (even without the tape)than in 4 years of modern Greek evening class. It's early days but I'm really enjoying this book. I can't believe I've learned so much in such a short time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. You won't regret it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A definite gift horse
Comment: This is a fun and light-hearted taster of the ancient Greek language. Written in a humorous manner it mixes the basics of the language with Greek myth and Biblical passages. Mr. Jones style is cool and self-assured with the chapters arranged into digestible study portions. Whilst it does lack the completeness of the excellent JACT series it will give a good grounding of the basics.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: so so
Comment: All reviews about this handbook sound quite enthusiastic, I do not agree.
First of all, I should like to make clear that I am not new to studying ancient and modern languages, both by myself or with a teacher.
I have decided to take up Greek seriously (a long standing wish) on my own to give my passion for historical lingustics a sounder basis and I bought several British and American textbooks as there is no self study material in Italian.
There is no doubt about Dr Jones being competent, that is wholly out of question. I like his humour too, his light hearted way of illustrating grammar as if it were real fun: I may be a linguist in the core but I find learning declensions by heart just a little more easy than a common high school pupil would therefore heartily welcoming any device that can make things more palatable.
Up to chapter five (included) things are just fine. I do not like (well, I abhor) the leaving the accents aside, but this is very common way in Anglo-american textbooks: I see no reason why it should be so but so it is and one cannot blame Dr Jones too much for doing just the same.
Accents aside, learning is easy and entertaining and you really get the impression of making the most of your time.
From chapter six things get sticky. Grammar is still nicely illustrated but the examples and excercises are no longer up to the task of making you learn what has been so entertainingly explained. Reasoning leads one near to nowhere: one must begin learning by heart and doing the (few) excercises again and again in the attempt of memorizing vocabulary and constructions.
An even stickier problem is the choice of readings. Probably in the attempt of confronting his reader with real texts to awaken his/her interest, Dr Jones is just too eager in introducing nearly unadulterated Greek passages.
Such passages must be preceded by discouragingly long vocabulary lists not to mention the fact that this vocabulary is seldom useful later on; this is why I took no pleasure in reading Thucidides or Socrates as boasted on the book cover.
A minor but irritating fault is the lack of answer key translation for those readings taken from the New Testament. "Use your Bible" is not satisfactory for someone who wishes a self contained handbook, not to mention that there are several translations of the Bible and that, for the purpose of learning, a literal if unattractive translation could be of more use than the usual ones.
In my opinion one could use the first chapters of this book to break the ice but should go on with a different text or be prepared for a lot of self imposed supplementary work.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worth a 6 star rating!
Comment: I suppose I come to this text from a different angle to most other reviewers. I am just coming up to 70 and still patching up some of those 'holes' of lost opportunity - and one of these is very definitely, ancient Greek!
I am currently learning this from LAG having virtually put a rain check on Icelandic and Old English because, like some of the other reviewers, I am totally caught up in this refreshingly new and entertaining approach of Peter Jones. Like most people of my advancing age I am conscious of a frustrating slowing down in the activity of the few remaining grey cells but I still find that by using this little volume I can progress at a satisfactory pace notwithstanding the many idiosyncrasies presented in this ancient language e.g.the lack of a consistent verb root or the fact that a neuter plural noun takes a singular verb.
I notice that one of your reviewers criticises the pace of the book. I can understand this coming from a young (university?) student but for the ordinary John (or Joan!)Does who may suddenly have an urge to extend their educational horizons this is a stimulating, entertaining and very manageable introduction to the subject and it achieves exactly what it sets out to achieve. I can't wait now that I have the basic knowledge obtained from LAG to progress to the next level. I already possess a knowledge of several other living languages which will be a great help at the next stage but even without this background in languages I am sure that most others who attempt the journey will be well rewarded by their initial excursion through this introductory volume.
Worth 6 stars at least ...............!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Adults start here
Comment: This is a very cunningly constructed text. The author is very clear about what he wants you to achieve: to get a sense of achievement from reading short classical texts and short sections from the New Testament.No time is diverted into learning noun endings: emphasis is on the all important definite article. You will be led by the nose through active and passive verbs and participles. Every exercise is linked to a translation key. It hardly sounds exciting but it might just hook you.
The book can be unreservedly recommended as a first text to adult beginners working completely on their own. If you do not get past the grammar of chapter three there is still plenty of interesting reading in the background pages on Greek language and culture ahead of you in the remaing 17 chapters.
By the time you reach chpt 19 you might feel the need to refer to a more formal text on grammar.Personally I found J.Taylor's "Greek to GCSE,Part 1" an ideal complement to LAG. Do not attempt JT's book on your own unless you have first worked through LAG: there is no key to translations in JT; it is after all intended to be used in schools.
Ironic perhaps that ancient Greek,dying out as a school subject ,is served so well by these recently written texts. To repeat : if you are an adult( with some interest in languages, and with a fair bit of time available) get yourself a copy of LAG - it is a thoroughly entertaining introduction which eschews any attempt to get kudos
from appearing to be only for the aristoi.
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