APE-MPE, as the national news agency of Greece, honors today World Greek Language Day presenting a text adapted simultaneously in Ancient and Modern Greek.
The original article in a scientific online journal (“In Medias Res”) concerns the teaching of classical languages -including Ancient Greek- at an Oxford college.
The text is as follows:
Τὰ Λατινικὰ καὶ τὰ .λληνικὰ φωνὴν τῇ Ὀξφόρδῃ κτᾶται.
Ἐν τῇ Ὀξφόρδῃ πλείονες τῶν καθηγητῶν μᾶλλον δὲ τήμερον δέχονται, ὅτι οἱ μαθηταὶ θᾶττον μανθάνουσι τὰς κλασικὰς γλώττας, εἰ διδασκόμενοι διαλέγονται ταύταις ταῖς γλώσσαις.
Τῇ Ὀξφόρδῃ τὰ Λατινικά ἐστι πανταχοῦ. Λατινικὰ ῥητά, μνημεῖά τε καὶ ἐπιγραφαί, ὑμᾶς δεξιοῦνται ἐν ἑκάστῃ τῶν ὁδῶν καμπῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς σφετέροις Κολεγίοις. Καθ ́κάστην ἡμέραν ταῖς τραπέζαις λατινικαὶ προσαγορεύσεις καὶ εὐχαὶ λέγονται. Οἱ φοιτηταὶ τὰ σφέτερα πτυχία ἐν λατινικαῖς τελεταῖς λαμβάνουσιν.
“Ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν ἐδίδασκον συνήθει τῷ τρόπῳ” λέγει ἡ Διδάκτωρ Melinda Letts καθηγήτειρα Λατινικῶν καὶ Ἀρχαίων⁇ λληνικῶν ἐν τῷ Κολεγίῳ Jesus τῆς Ὀξφόρδης. «Ἀλλὰ ἠπόρησα πῶς μάλα πολλοὶ προπτυχιακοὶ φοιτηταί εἰσι, οἵτινες διαφέρεται περὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τῆς Λατινικῆς καὶ⁇ λληνικῆς Γλώττης. Πολλοὶ γὰρ αἰτοῦνται διδαχθῆναι ταύτας τὰς γλώττας. Δεῖ δὲ πλείους φοιτητὰς μαθεῖν τὰ Λατινικὰ καὶ τὰ Ἀρχαῖα⁇ λληνικὰ ἐκ τοῦ μηδενός. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐδίδασκον Λατινικά τε καὶ Ἀρχαῖα⁇ λληνικὰ τῷ τρόπῳ τῷ ἐκ τῆς παραδοχῆς λεγομένῳ. Τοὺς μαθητὰς δὲ ὁρῶσα ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐνθουσιῶντας ὑπὸ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως τῆς ἀρχαίας λογοτεχνίας, ἐς τέλος δὲ μὴ δυναμένους φέρειν τὰς δυσχερίας, ἤλγουν. Πλειόνων γὰρ μαθητῶν ἀναγνῶναι δυναμένων τοὺς ἀρχαίους λόγους αὐτοπεποιθήτῳ γνώμῃ δεόμεθα ».
Γηθήγητὴς Armand D’Angour τοῦ Jesus Κολεγίου τῆς Ὀξφόρδης, ὁμοίως رنگμενος τῇ ἐνεργῷ μεθόδῳ διδάσκει. Τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὁ καθηγητὴς Armand D’Angour ἐνεπνεύσθη ἄρχεσθαι προφορικῶς μαθεῖν Λατινικὰ τῷ 2016, ἐντυχὼν τῇ λατινικῇ φωνῇ χρωμένοις φοιτηταῖς ἐκ τῆς Vivarium Novum Ἀκαδημίας.
«Μελετῶν τις τοὺς πρωτοτύπους τῶν λόγων τῇ Λατινικῇ φωνῇ συνίησιν ἀνυσίμως τούτους ἄνευ τῆς τῇ μητρικῇ γλώττῃ μεταφορᾶς. Ὅτι πᾶς τις τῇ Λατινικῇ φωνῇ δύναται πλέονα εἰπεῖν μείοσι λόγοις, ἀληθές ἐστι. »
Γηθήγητὴς Armand D’Angour συγχωρεῖ ὅτι οἱ μαθηταί, οἵτινες τὴν ἐνεργὸν metodδον πειρῶνται, σπουδαῖα ὀφέλη ἀπολαύουσι. «Χρώμενοι τῇ Λατινικῇ γλώττῃ προφορικῶς, ἡ Γραμματικὴ καὶ τὸ Συντακτικὸν οὐκέτι δυσχεραίνουσι τοὺς μαθητάς. Οὕτως γὰρ οἱ μαθηταὶ ῥᾳδίως τοὺς λόγους νοοῦσι ».
Ἐὰν καὶ τὰ προφορικὰ Λατινικὰ μηκέτι ᾖ ἐν τῷ ἐπισήμῳ τῆς Ὀξφόρδης προγράμματι, ὅμως ἡ ῥοπὴ τῶν καθηγητῶν, ὡς ἡ Dr. Letts καὶ ὁ Armand D’Angour, ἀλλαγάς τινας τῷ νῦν τρόπῳ διδασκαλίας τῶν κλασσικῶν γλωττῶν φέρει. Οἱ γὰρ φοιτηταὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ πρὸ τοῦ πτυχίου ἔτει ἐν τῷ Κολεγίῳ ἤδη ὅλως διὰ τῆς ἐνεργοῦ μεθόδου λέγοντες διδάσκονται τὰ Λατινικὰ καὶ τὰ Ἀρχαῖα⁇ λληνικά. Μέρη δὲ ἐκ τῶν Λατινικῶν λόγων ἀναγνόντες ἑρμηνεύουσι σφετέροις λόγοις λαλοῦντες τὴν Λατινικὴν γλῶτταν.
Παρόμοιοι δὲ πειραὶ γίγνονται εἰσέτι καὶ διὰ τὰ Ἀρχαῖα⁇ λληνικά. Τὸ μάθημα τῶν τοῦ πρώτου ἔτους Ἀρχαίων⁇ λληνικῶν διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔτος ἐπληρώθη ὑπὸ μάλα πολλῶν μαθητῶν καὶ ἔδει δεύτερον τμῆμα γενέσθαι, ἵνα ἡ μεγάλη ζήτησις καλυφθῇ.
The text follows in Modern Greek:
Latin and Greek have a voice in Oxford
In Oxford, more and more teachers are embracing the view that by teaching classical languages by speaking them, students learn them much faster.
In Oxford Latin is everywhere. Latin sayings, monuments and inscriptions welcome you at every turn throughout the city and its colleges. Every day, Latin greetings are given in the dining rooms. Students still receive their degrees in ceremonies held in Latin.
“Initially I taught in the usual way,” says Dr. Melinda Letts Professor of Latin and Ancient Greek at Jesus College, Oxford. The number of students who had to learn languages from the beginning has steadily increased in recent years. The interest is great, as we can see from the number of people who apply. However, many more students at the University must learn Latin and Ancient Greek from scratch.
I taught Latin and Ancient Greek in the so-called “traditional way”. But it hurt me to see the students who at first were excited by reading ancient literature, end up after a while struggling with the difficulties they were facing. “We need more students who can read the ancient texts with confidence.”
Professor Armand D’Angour of Jesus College, Oxford, also teaches using the active method. Professor D’Angour was initially inspired to start learning oral Latin in 2016, following a meeting with Latin-speaking students from the Accademia Vivarium Novum.
“One passes the basic texts much more effectively, because one reads them in Latin, one does not translate them. It is true that in Latin you can say more by saying less! “
Professor D’Angour agrees that students who try the active method enjoy significant benefits. “When we use Latin as an oral language, grammar and syntax issues that may seem complicated to students with the traditional method are no longer a problem. This makes it much easier for students to understand the texts. “
Spoken Latin has not yet become an official part of the Oxford program. However, the influence of teachers like Dr. Letts and Professor D’Angour are beginning to influence the way things are done. First-year undergraduate students are now taught entirely in college Latin and Ancient Greek through the Active Method, through speaking. Students read excerpts and then explain them in their own words in Latin.
Similar efforts are being made for Greek. This year’s lesson beginners of Ancient Greek has been over-met and a second class had to be created to meet demand.
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