GREK 1110
Greek I - Beginning Greek
Preparation for the Course
Greek Fonts
Students will need to be able to read, and eventually write, the Greek characters as they appear in web pages and in document files. There are some help pages which explain about Unicode fonts, and how to set up MSWord to type in Greek.
Go here to see if your computer already has a polytonic (many accents) Greek Unicode font installed. If it does not, please contact me so that I can advise you on how to find and install a suitable font.
This next step is optional - you can use "insert symbol" instead if you wish. If your computer already has a polytonic Greek Unicode font, go ahead and start assigning short-cuts in MSWord for the Greek characters.
The file word-proc02.pdf will tell you how to do this.
If you have time, practice typing the alphabet several times.
Do not bother about all the little accents, nor the marks that look like commas - we will learn about them later.
Alphabet Practice
Chapter 1 of the textbook will introduce you to the letters of the Greek Alphabet, and their approximate pronunciation at the time the New Testament was written.
Start to familiarize yourself with the letters and their sounds - do not worry about the sound of χ (like -ch in Scottish loch or German ach), nor the little marks that look like commas over initial vowels, nor the way to write ξ - we will work on those later.
Go here for Practice Sheet 1
and here for Practice Sheet 2
Print out the Practice sheets for the Alphabet, and practice writing the Alphabet in order - this will help later, when you want to use a Greek Dictionary.
By the start of Week 2 you will be able to write out all the letters in order, and know the sound to make for each one.
The Online Greek Text Book
The Online Textbook starts at
http://www.drshirley.org/greek/textbook02/index.html.
Go to the pages and print out the Introduction and chapters 1 through 30, Appendices A1 through B1. File them in a three-ring binder. This will become your textbook for the course.
History of Greek
Go here for a full version of the Greek Alphabet, including some archaic letters which had dropped out of use by the time the New Testament was written.
Go here to print out and read a brief history of the Greek Language.
If time permits, try some of the links on the Links Page for more history of the Greek people and their culture.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
