Here are some more. These are from the chapter on vocabulary.
Make vocabulary your friend! You remember the names of your friends, right?
Clearly one of the hardest elements of keeping your Greek is vocabulary. Even if you remember your paradigms and recall the syntax, without knowing what the words mean, it is all for nought!
I get the impression that some people are ‘above’ learning vocabulary. What I mean is that vocab learning is not especially sexy or sophisticated, like, say, verbal aspect 
While it can be tempting to rush your vocab learning—since there are so many words to master—it’s important to let quality rule over quantity.
The great thing about a good memory hook is that it will really help to keep the word in your long-term memory, because the connection that’s made makes a lasting impression in your mind.
Posted by Con Campbell
Rick Creighton
Bruce Lowe
Con Campbell
RSS feed - Posts
Subscribe by Email
typo!
it’s “naUght”!
looking forward to a glowing credit in your book
Actually, you mean “nAught”.
Hi Con – I agree entirely. But can I suggest a more positive spin on essentially the same point? Vocab learning may initially be the most plodding, boring part of learning Greek – but the more vocab you know, the more you’ll love reading the Greek text itself, because you’ll keep recognising the smiling faces of your “friends” popping up all over the place. Since motivation is one of the biggest factors in learning a language, learning vocab is one of the primary ways to ramp up your motivation.
Also, can I put in a “plug” for my free computer-based vocab learning resources at http://www.lionelwindsor.net/language-tools/greek/ ? Different people will have different vocab learning strategies, but from feedback I’ve received it seems that these resources have been useful for a wide range of people.
Thanks, Lionel. Motivation is a really important factor, for sure. And thanks for the plug. We’ll have to collate a list of useful tools on the net.
I made a practice in grad school of noting down on a list words that I either didn’t recognize or couldn’t guess at from context and then studying the lexical entries for words that recurred on my list. I think that successful vocabulary acquisition depends upon some real study of lexical entries and getting a feel for the contexts in which particular words are used.
Thanks for that point, Carl. Doing some actual lexical work on vocabulary in order to learn the words is an interesting idea.
I maintain that a day without flashcards is like a day without sunshine. There is absolutely no substitute for regular, methodical review. I’ve been done with my Greek classes for about 18 months, but still review my vocabulary daily using software called Anki. I don’t do as much as I did when I was reviewing for weekly vocab quizzes, but I also realize that if I don’t review I’m going to forget. I’m also trying to slowly make progress on new words so that I can get my vocab down to around 10 occurrences.
My plan is to do the same thing with Hebrew. I’ve established a habit of daily flashcard review over the past 3 years. I don’t see any reason to change now since it has been so profitable.
Just as there are two sides to a coin, so are there two sides to a flashcard! Try working through your flashcards by going from Greek to English, and then when you are finished working through the stack, flip the stack over and work through your cards by going from English to Greek!
Another idea to really learn by going from English to Greek is to work through your flashcards by reading the English word on the flashcard, and then *writing* out the Greek word on a separate piece of paper.
Interesting idea, thanks!
I’d like to second lionelwindsor’s comment about how good (and free) the tools on his website are.
I’m been working through his flashcards for a few years now and they’re probably the single most helpful tool I’ve used for getting my Greek reading up to speed.
I should probably use this opportunity to thank him for them as well!
I was wondering if Randall Buth would be consulted in the writing of this book. Retention of the biblical languages seems to be his specialty. His Living Biblical Greek/Hebrew materials have certainly helped with my own!
Robert
I should have a chat with Randall about this, yes.
[...] Campbell calls verbal aspect sexy and sophisticated (but read for [...]
“The great thing about a good memory hook is that it will really help to keep the word in your long-term memory, because the connection that’s made makes a lasting impression in your mind.”
Even a BAD memory hook makes a lasting impression. I remember the ridiculous, thin-stretched mnemonic devices I used when learning Greek vocab in college, and despite the fact that I would NEVER recommend 90% of them to others, they still stick with me. I think my preposition mnemonics were the worst, and the most effective.
I’m taking a couple of my students through Mounce this year and I tell them to use any hook they can think of, the sillier and weirder the better.
Nice one! Though I would call those GOOD memory hooks, not bad ones; if they work, they’re good!
Your post reminded me of my seminary days. Memorising Greek and Hebrew vocab was hard mental work but there were rewards. Translation and diagramming became easier. This helped with exegetical and homiletical outlining. In fact, after many years in the ministry, I still experience the rewards of memorising Greek in my preaching preparation.