A Greek Alphabetarion: A Primer for Teaching How to Read, Write & Pronounce Ancient & Biblical Greek
First, in learning Greek, one must learn the alphabet. To memorize the 24 Greek capital letters and 25 small letters is not hard. One can do it in a day or two. But Mr. Bluedorn is not satisfied with that as an introduction to Greek. He proceeds to teach the student the sounds so he or she can pronounce the letters, and finally the words, as you read. This gives one the proper foundation, for to learn the parts, the sounds, and the symbols prepares the student to thoroughly handle the Greek Language. So, he says, read your lessons out loud; engage your mouth, your ears, hands, and eyes. This is the old-fashioned way of learning. And it works! In our judgment this is an excellent way to study Greek. In fact, this reviewer plans to go through it in order to more thoroughly understand the Greek of the New Testament. . . Please do yourself a favor, learn Greek. It sharpens the mind. . . . --Jay P. Green, Sr., editor and translator of the Interlinear Greek-English New TestamentThe Greek Alphabetarion is also excellent. It is thorough, informative, and maintained my children's interest (range from age 6 to 17 both boys and girls). My kids fought over it several times. My kids might fight over the last scoop of ice cream, but not school books. They started leaving little notes for each other in Greek letters and became quite competitive. The ending selections from the Gospel of John were sufficient to encourage my older son to continue to study on his own after he completed the primer. I attended graduate school at the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 1989 and was the Director of Forensic (Speech and Debate) while a graduate student there. I have been a faculty member at St. Mary's College, IN; Eastern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Washington State University, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks prior to homeschooling my children. I have held administrative positions at the University level. I have worked in the area of Educational Support Materials for several principles textbooks in the field of Economics such as earlier editions Ruffin and Gregory and Parkin. I am not readily impressed by curriculum materials for either the University, Secondary, or Primary grades or for homeschool. It is not uncommon for me to re-write material my children's use. This is one of the few programs that I have bought that required NO re-writing work on my part. In fact, I've never had to re-write any materials authored by the Bluedorns that I have purchased. I have always received more than fair value. --Barbara Haney Martinez, Ph.D.Do you wonder if learning Greek is worthwhile? Harvey Bluedorn answers, Yes, Greek is worthwhile. Greek sharpens the mind, the language is useful for serving the Lord, and studying Greek is a preparation for revival. The next question: Can you learn Greek? Bluedorn answers once again, Yes! He describes A Greek Alphabetarion as an easy start with Greek. Students of all ages will study each Greek letter, in both the book and the accompanying CD. Then, they will transliterate words, and read selected biblical passages. Part three, the Greek Phonetic system for advanced students (who are at least ten years old), includes mutes, semi-vowels, and a chart of Greek phonetics. An appendix, The History of Languages, includes Japhetic languages, Hellenistic Greek, and biblical Greek. Bluedorn believes typical Greek grammars devote very little time or space to teaching Greek literacy. Instead, they expect students to master Greek literacy while they are studying Greek grammar. This is possibly true, in some instances. I did not note that problem, however, as I enjoyed Greek in seminary. A Greek Alphabetarion could smooth the way. I recommend this book as the first step to serious study...especially for anyone overwhelmed by languages. Reviewed by Roberta Lou Jones, MDiv, Volunteer, Church Children's Library, Dexter, Kentucky --Christian Library Journal