Many Greek texts (and, for that matter, texts for many other disciplines) take great effort to make their presentations fun for the student. This is certainly not a fault, provided this motive is not overriding to the detriment of mastering the discipline itself. Indeed, enjoyment is a major factor effective learning. Enjoyment, however, can come from many sources, and it would seem that by the time a student is beginning to tackle Classical Greek, it should find its origin in the delight for the language itself. "Introduction to Attic Greek" by Donald Mastronarde does not dazzle with multi-colored illustrations, humorous anecdotes or invented stories about the life of a farmer. What it does do is present an admittedly difficult language in a clear, well-organized and thoughtful manner. It is linguistically very thorough, goes out of its way to explain clearly concepts that used to be understood by most people with a high school education (this is no longer the case), and helps the student who puts forth the effort to make rapid progress in reading real Attic Greek. The complaints to the effect that Mastronarde's text is dry suggest a lack of real interest in putting forth the effort to master the language. The serious student will find in this text a wealth of detail, vocabulary lists of very acceptable length, and grammar concepts clearly presented, with an abundance of exercises designed to cement the material in the student's mind, not excluding English-to-Greek sentences in moderation for those who seek a greater challenge (these need not be done, but as a teacher I find them excellent for students who really want to check their mastery). I might add that, as with most texts, the material can be entertaining if offered by a good classroom instructor. True, there are perhaps easier books out there, though "easiness" should not be the qualifying motive for choosing a text. Clarity of presentation, manageable vocabularies and grammar topics, and good exercises will do far more to generate a love of the language and a pride in making good progress which is the real "entertainment" when studying any language. This is especially important when one is tackling a highly inflected language like Ancient Greek.
In the end, all learners are different. It may be that you are moved to choose another text. But what you will find in "An Introduction to Attic Greek" is sound methodology that will give you many clues early on which will be a great help in future mastery. Mastronarde's text is challenging, but "do-ably" so, thorough without being overwhelming, and eminently rewarding the deeper one goes. It works well for those studying Classical Greek (its intended audience), but is not unsuited even for Biblical koine Greek and even later texts (whose authors often sought to imitate the Classical idiom). I highly recommend this book even for those working on their own without a teacher, especially if they have had previous experience with another inflected language (e.g., Latin, Russian, or even German). The student of any language needs patience, and nowhere is this more true than in the study of Classical Greek. Be patient, set reasonable goals, and review often.
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Hugh Nicklin
Purchased in error.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 14, 2021J Bradford
I purchased Introduction to Attic Greek at my son's university ...
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 12, 2015George Moore
Just as ordered. Necessary study manual for self-study.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 8, 2017
