Checking work when declining words?

[Ιακοβ]

Hi Guys,

 

While textbooks contain examples of declining out words, and the rules about what words follow what patterns. How do you self practice this, so for example, if you pick 10 words, and write them out in their forms. How do you then go ahead and check that you have done it correctly (that is recognised the word type/form, written out the correct endings, and followed all rules of contraction correctly).

 

Is there a resource in Accordance that allows you do do this? Or if not, outside Accordance?

 

I notice that you can (for example), search for forms of συνειδησις by searching for συνειδη* in NA28, but because this word only has a few instances in the NT, you can't actually check all of your endings. There has to be an easier way right?

 

Thanks!

[Λύχνις Δαν]

Not quite sure what to say. A lot of words (most ?) don't occur in all conceivable variants in any given corpora, perhaps not in all together. I don't know of any exhaustive treatment of all words of a corpora in all forms.

 

What I did was drill the paradigms for endings for the various cases as described in Mounce's BBG. That covers most of what you need. Get the accompanying workbook; you'll be drilled a lot by the time you're done. The Psalms use the optative a lot which BBG doesn't drill you on, but you can get that from MBG or somewhere else later.

 

There are paradigmatic words which are used as examples in the paradigms and they can be found - λογος for example. The other thing is that you will get to the point of recognizing the common forms (like third aorists) pretty quickly. Rarer forms will take longer.

 

Thx

D

 

Thx

D

[Julia Falling]

In most 1st year grammars, example words are used to demonstrate the pattern.  But it doesn't take most of us very long to discover that some words 'break the rules.'

 

If you can afford it, I strongly recommend that you buy Mounce's Morphology of Biblical Greek.  This is a great tool.  I don't think I'll ever 'outgrow' it.

 

For instance, if you search M-Morphology for συνειδησις, you will discover that Mounce has put it in the grouping n-3e(5b).   n is for noun, 3 is for 3rd declension.  The rest of the 'group number' is his system from breaking down all the words by the way the decline (or conjugate).  Then you go from there to the pattern word chosen.  In this case it's πολις.

 

The complete declension of πολις is given under the correct 'grouping.'

 

 

Some of the groups have only a few words.  Some have a lot.  The group to which συνειδησις belongs has 191 words – well worth learning that one well since there are so many that follow the same pattern.

 

 

 

 

[Ιακοβ]

Oh thats neat, that is available in Mounce for every word? (well at least as you would need for the NT?)

 

I came across this today, where I knew one form of a word, but I couldn't work out what the other forms would be.

[Julia Falling]

Yeah.  Mounce Morphology has every word, as far as I know, that is in the NT.  They're listed in categories by the way they decline or conjugate.  You might not find the word you are using, but you will find all the forms for one in that category.

[Λύχνις Δαν]

A quick quote from the Preface :

 

MBG is designed primarily as an aid to knowing New Testament Greek. While using the term Biblical in the name Morphology of Biblical Greek may be a bit of a misnomer since it does not deal heavily with the LXX, MBG does incorporate a significant amount of material that goes beyond the New Testament, including variants, the LXX, and Hellenistic Greek in general.

....

The primary purpose of MBG is to categorize all the words in the New [p. xvi] Testament, and others, assemble all the rules that govern their inflection, and present that information in a way that the student can understand without first having to learn the entire field of morphology. As such it functions as an introduction to the more detailed analyses of the language by these texts and others.

 

  I don't recall looking for an NT word that is not referred to, yet, though I do for the LXX. It is pretty exhaustive. I use it a lot and having it in Accordance is really good. Actually, I now recall I wrote a review of it for Accordance's webpage on it : http://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=Mounce%20Morphology.

 

Thx

D