From: Karen Pitts (karen_pitts@maca.sarnoff.com)
Date: Fri Apr 24 1998 - 11:41:30 EDT
Here's a response from one of the lay-lurkers.
I started Koine Greek between the arrival of my second and third child,
learning from several seminarians of Princeton Theological Seminary who attend
our church. I was reading the gospel of John with significant help after
about 6 months (with a typical effort of 3-6 hours a week). After two years I
could do a chapter of John a week on my own. I've now been at it six years
and a couple of us are working our way through Luke, without too much
difficulty. I have not yet reached the stage Carl described, where I can just
read (unless it is one of the gospels, which I can pretty much sight-translate
at this point). As we've added children to the family (we're now at five and
holding), my time in Greek has decreased, but I've at least maintained my
skill, if I haven't become more proficient. I teach an introductory course at
my church, and everyone else is slower than I am, so Clayton's 10 years may
not be far off, but I think you can get to a point where you get a lot of
satisfaction in a year or two. Even my student who started when I did and
still hasn't got to participles has used her Greek in several areas of her
life, including teaching the alphabet to her 4 year old grandaughter and a
Korean-speaking fellow grauate student. It absolutely requires committment,
thought. My husband says my priorities are my kids, my job, Greek, and then
him.
CARIS KAI EREINH
Karen Pitts
kpitts@sarnoff.com
Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Hopewell, NJ, teacher of NT Greek
Sarnoff Corporation, Princeton, NJ, statistician
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