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greek speak
From AMU to the Zoo, Ancient Greek Spoken Here by BRIGID
O’MALLEY
T
hey start with the alphabet and then eventually, they’re having light conversations about monkeys at the Naples Zoo. And it’s all Greek to them, both inside and outside the classroom at a summer workshop offered at Ave Maria University. For three weeks and for four hours each day, nine students, a few from AMU and others from around the nation, gathered to speak and hear the only ancient Greek of the first centuries A.D. The University offered the course as part of its
Members of the summer Greek language workshop enjoy the Naples Zoo.
second annual workshop in instruction on using the classical languages such as Latin and Greek as “living languages.” The students learned to understand dialogues, read text and carry on basic conversations with speakers of ancient Greek. Dr. Christophe Rico of the Polis Institute in Jerusalem taught the course for the second straight summer. He’ll be returning next year and adding a second level to the Greek course for those who’ve mastered the first level. The idea is to use your Greek. Your vocabulary will grow as will a greater interest in the language, which isn’t the easiest of the classics to conquer.
“Whenever I would see them in the dorms, I’d speak Greek,’’ Rico said. “And then they end up themselves speaking Greek in the dorms. It’s simple Greek. But it’s a great exercise.” In the classroom, the students began with the basics. Then through storytelling exercises and his own text book, Rico takes the students deeper. One morning, as he tells what seems to be a long, complicated story seems to be easily understood by the students. The tale about a burglar, a dog, a chase and a fall into some water seems to be entertaining. They grab onto some words and using the context that they can understand, they come up with the answers as he circles the room, asking questions. They even smile at his joke-telling. Outside the classroom, the students travel to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County and to the Naples Zoo. These opportunities build an awareness of vocabulary for basic facts and word usage, often not normally used in the classroom. They also allow students to talk more naturally among themselves and with instructors. Judy Corrao, a senior at AMU, who is studying the classics and theology, said she appreciates the bit of immersion. A speaker of English, French and a student of Latin for two years, she said Greek seemed a bit easier. She said the group only got a few strange looks from people as the students used the words for tiger and monkey to talk about the animals. Some people were puzzled, trying to figure out what language they were speaking. “I like the fact that he forces you to speak Greek,’’ she said. Revel Martinez, a 26-year-old graduate student at Sao Paulo University in Brazil, has studied Greek for more than two years. “I’ve never seen this kind of teaching. It’s awesome,’’ he said. “We can deal with the language through a different point of view.” The course is designed for beginners as well as those who may have studied the language for a year or two, said Dr. Bradley Ritter, AMU professor of classics. “It operates in the most ancient method of teaching,’’ Ritter said. “People want to speak it.” amu
avemaria.edu | fall 2013 |
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