Watch Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language

Name: Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language
Released: 2016-03-04
Cast: Hans-Friedrich Mueller

2016
1 Season

Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language from The Great Courses Signature Collection is an educational series that delves into the wonders of the Greek language, one of the oldest and most influential languages in existence. Led by acclaimed classicist Hans-Friedrich Mueller, the series provides an in-depth understanding of Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, with a focus on the language's ancient roots and its lasting impact on Western culture.

Each 30-minute episode of the series takes viewers through a comprehensive lesson plan that covers everything from basic vocabulary to more advanced concepts like verb conjugation and noun declension. Mueller is an engaging instructor who guides viewers through each lesson step-by-step, providing clear explanations and helpful examples along the way. He also draws on his extensive knowledge of Greek literature, philosophy, and history to illustrate how the language has shaped our understanding of the human experience over the centuries.

One of the most compelling aspects of the series is its emphasis on the cultural context of the Greek language. Mueller takes viewers on a journey back in time to ancient Greece, exploring the world of the Greek city-states and the lives of some of the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Through this lens, viewers can gain a deeper appreciation for the ways in which the Greek language has influenced so many aspects of our modern world, from science and medicine to philosophy and literature.

Another key aspect of the series is its interactive format. Each lesson includes a variety of exercises and quizzes designed to help viewers reinforce their understanding of key concepts and vocabulary. Mueller also encourages viewers to practice speaking Greek aloud, providing opportunities for them to try out their skills and receive feedback on their pronunciation and grammar.

Overall, Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language is a fascinating exploration of one of the world's most influential languages. Mueller's expertise and enthusiasm for the subject shine through in every episode, making for an engaging and informative viewing experience. Whether you're a classicist, a language enthusiast, or simply curious about the ancient world, this series is sure to inspire and delight.

Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language is a series that ran for 1 seasons (36 episodes) between March 4, 2016 and on The Great Courses Signature Collection

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Seasons

36. Irregular Verbs & Tips for Further Study

March 4, 2016

Learn two more irregular verbs, to go and to know, seeing them at work in sentences from John and Matthew. Then complete your last passage from the Iliad, lines 118-125, and consider strategies for continuing your Greek studies-whether you want to dig deeper into Homer and the New Testament, or discover new masterpieces.

35. The Verb Îµá¼°Î¼Î¯

March 4, 2016

The most common Î¼Î¹ verb is also one of the most irregular: to be. Study its forms, discovering that, as unpredictable as it appears, it is more regular than its English counterparts: I am, you are, he is. Then learn to count in Greek, and analyze lines 109-117 of the Iliad.

34. Review of Regular -Ž¼Ž¹ Verbs

March 4, 2016

Search for the features that distinguish Ž¼Ž¹ verbs from the verb forms encountered earlier in the course, whose first principal part ends in €°. Resume your study of the Lord¢‚¬„¢s Prayer, discovering two Ž¼Ž¹ verb aorist commands. Then read lines 101-108 of the Iliad, which open with a Ž¼Ž¹ verb compound.

33. Regular -Î¼Î¹ Verbs in the Middle/Passive

March 4, 2016

Extend your exploration of Î¼Î¹ verbs, studying the middle passive, which is more regular than the active voice covered in the previous lesson. Note examples of Î¼Î¹ verbs in Luke 22:19, which depicts a moment from the Last Supper, and lines 86-100 of the Iliad.

32. Regular -Ž¼Ž¹ Verbs in the Active

March 4, 2016

Bring your study of Greek verbs to a close by focusing on an important class of verbs that end in Ž¼Ž¹ in the first principal part. There aren¢‚¬„¢t many such Ž¼Ž¹ verbs, but they are useful and common, and they appear frequently in compounds.

31. Relative, Interrogative & Indefinite Pronouns

March 4, 2016

Conclude your exploration of Greek pronouns with interrogative, indefinite, and relative pronouns. These are words such as who, which, and what; and, for indefinite pronouns, someone, something, and similar unspecific descriptors. Look at examples in the New Testament and in the Iliad 81-85.

30. Personal & Possessive Pronouns

March 4, 2016

Plumb the depths of Greek personal and possessive pronouns. Begin with the historically later forms of the New Testament, revisiting the Lordï¿½Ûªs Prayer in Matthew. Then focus on the pronouns in your next extract from the Iliad, lines 76-80. Along the way, discover a classic figure of speech called chiasmus.

29. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns

March 4, 2016

Investigate the use of Greek demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, which correspond to English words such as this, that, these, and those. Chart a rich sampling of demonstratives, including a reflexive pronoun, in Luke 23:28-29. Then continue with the heightening tension in lines 70-75 of the Iliad.

28. Third-Declension Adjectives

March 4, 2016

In the next four lessons, return to the declension of adjectives and pronouns to explore variations on patterns you have already practiced. In this lesson, focus on third-declension adjectives. Close by reading lines 64-69 of the Iliad. Also learn about a handy class of words called particles.

27. The Aorist Passive

March 4, 2016

Delve deeper into the aorist passive, which was introduced in Lesson 19. This tense may sound exotic, but itï¿½Ûªs a workhorse in Greek sentences. For example, study the string of aorist passive commands in the Lordï¿½Ûªs Prayer in Matthew. Then work your way through lines 59-63 of the Iliad.

26. The Optative Mood

March 4, 2016

The last of the moods is the optative, which expresses a wish-as in line 42 of the Iliad, where the priest Chryses implores Apollo, €œMay the Danaans requite my tears€¦.€ Find more examples of this easily recognized form in the New Testament. Then continue your reading of the Iliad with lines 53-58.

25. The Imperative Mood, Middle/Passive

January 1, 1970

Learn to form imperatives in the middle/passive, looking at examples in Matthew 3:2 and John 14:1. Note that in Homeric Greek the imperative and other verb endings tend to be uncontracted. Then read the Iliad lines 48-52, experiencing the devastation wrought by Apollo�۪s silver bow.

24. The Imperative Mood, Active

March 4, 2016

Encounter the imperative mood-the verb construction used for commands. Study the imperative endings in the present and aorist tenses. Find three aorist commands in Luke 22:36, and even more as you continue your reading of the Iliad with lines 39-47.

23. The Subjunctive Mood

March 4, 2016

Turn from the indicative mood to the subjunctive mood, which denotes situations that are doubtful, wishful, purposeful, or fearful. Subjunctives are easily recognized by their long vowel that precedes (or constitutes) the verb ending. Explore several examples, including one from Lukeï¿½Ûªs Nativity narrative, and read line 38 of the Iliad.

22. The Perfect System in the Middle/Passive

March 4, 2016

Learn to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect middle/passive tenses on the basis of the fifth principal part. Study examples in Matthew and Luke. Then read lines 33-37 of the Iliad, which includes a stirring scene €œalong the shore of the much-roaring sea.€

21. Middle/Passive Participles

March 4, 2016

Move on to middle/passive participles. Greek participles pack a lot of meaning into a single word that may require an entire clause to translate into English. Look at examples from two different verses in Matthew as well as your Homeric reading for this lesson: lines 28-32 of the Iliad.

20. Active Participles

March 4, 2016

Participles are verbal adjectives. Like verbs, they have tense and voice. Like adjectives, they agree in case, number, and gender with the nouns they modify. Learn to form participles in different tenses of the active voice. Study examples in the Gospel of Matthew and in your reading of lines 22-27 of the Iliad.

19. Forming and Using Infinitives

March 4, 2016

Study the fifth principal part, which forms the basis of the perfect and pluperfect middle/passive, and the sixth and final principal part, which forms the basis of the aorist passive. Then learn how to construct the infinitive in different tenses, looking at examples in Homer and the New Testament.

18. Perfect & Pluperfect Active

March 4, 2016

Learn the fourth principal part, which governs the formation of the perfect and pluperfect tenses. Discover the great utility of these past tenses for talking about completed action. Study an example of the perfect in John 3:13, and read lines 17-21 of the Iliad.

17. Aorist & Imperfect Middle/Passive

March 4, 2016

In the previous lesson, you learned the primary middle/passive endings, which are used for the present and future tenses. Now compare these to the secondary middle/passive endings, which are used for past tenses. Then read lines 11-16 of the Iliad, learning new rules for scanning dactylic hexameter.

16. The Middle/Passive Voice: Present & Future

March 4, 2016

Go deeper into Homer with lines 6-10 of the Iliad. Then discover the middle and passive voices. The passive operates as in English, with the subject receiving the action of the verb. However, English doesnï¿½Ûªt have a middle voice, which in Greek signals that the subject is acting in its own interest.

15. Practicing Dactylic Hexameter

January 1, 1970

Practice reciting the first five lines of the Iliad, hearing how the meter enhances the meaning of the text. Then study third declension neuter endings, and read three verses of unadapted New Testament Greek, covering the conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary in Luke 1:32-34.

14. Understanding Dactylic Hexameter

March 4, 2016

Read the first five lines of Homerï¿½Ûªs Iliad, focusing on vocabulary and grammar. Then investigate the quality that makes Homer a great poet: his use of sound and meter. Homer composed in dactylic hexameter, which was used throughout antiquity. Learn the rules that govern this epic meter.

13. Third-Declension Nouns

March 4, 2016

Encounter the third and final declension, focusing, as usual, on the genitive, which is the key to identifying the declension. This is especially important with the third declension, since the noun base is not obvious from the nominative form. Then make your final preparations to read Homerï¿½Ûªs Iliad in unadapted Greek.

12. The Root Aorist

March 4, 2016

The aorist is a past tense that makes no reference to the duration or completion of an action, and focuses instead on the simple act. In Lesson 10, you learned the morphology of the first aorist. Now study the second aorist and root aorist. Analyze examples of all three aorist tenses in the New Testament and Homer.

11. First-Declension Masculine Nouns

March 4, 2016

Although first declension nouns are generally feminine, some masculine nouns also fall into this class. Learn how to recognize them (as well as the declensions of all nouns) from the nominative and genitive forms supplied in Greek dictionaries. Then investigate some finer points of compound verbs.

10. Verbs in the Future & Aorist Tenses

March 4, 2016

Learn two new tenses: the future and aorist. In the process, encounter the concept of principal parts, which are indispensable for recognizing different tenses. Concentrate on the first three principal parts for regular verbs (present and imperfect, future, and aorist). Also inspect some irregular verbs.

9. Verbs in the Imperfect Tense

January 1, 1970

Greek has several ways of talking about the past. Focus on the imperfect tense, which describes an action that was ongoing in the past-for example, “The Achaeans were dishonoring the gods.” The imperfect is built by adding a vowel prefix, called an augment, to the verb base, plus secondary endings.

8. First- & Second-Declension Pronouns

March 4, 2016

Delve deeper into the first and second declensions, discovering that the endings for demonstrative adjectives and pronouns differ in only minor ways from those for nouns. Practice using different types of pronouns, and learn that they underwent a fascinating evolution from Homeric Greek to Koine.

7. Building Basic Translation Skills

March 4, 2016

Review what you have learned up until now. Then try your hand at translating from English to Greek-first into Homeric Greek and then into Koine, noticing the key differences between the two dialects. Close by reading the opening passage of the Gospel of John in its unadapted original Koine.

6. Adjective Forms & Second-Declension Nouns

March 4, 2016

So far, you have studied first-declension nouns, which are mainly feminine. Now expand your range into masculine and neuter nouns, many of which use second-declension endings. Practice these endings together with their adjectival forms in words that you will encounter in Homer.

5. Verbs in the Present Tense

March 4, 2016

Greek verbs can be described in terms of person, number, tense, voice, and mood. In this lesson, focus on verbs that are present active indicative. Learn that voice, person, and number are indicated by endings on the verb base. For the present tense, these are called primary endings.

4. Additional Patterns of the First Declension

March 4, 2016

Look at two variations in the pattern of the first declension-one used in Homeric Greek and the other in Koine, the Greek of the New Testament. Despite being separated by almost a thousand years, the two dialects have remarkable continuity.

3. Basic Rules of Greek Accentuation

March 4, 2016

Invented over two thousand years ago by Aristophanes of Byzantium, head of the Library of Alexandria, accents are important clues to the pronunciation of Greek words, and they often provide other crucial information. Learn the rules for the three types of accents: acute, grave, and circumflex.

2. First-Declension Nouns

January 1, 1970

Discover that Greek nouns have gender and their endings supply a host of information, such as whether the case is nominative, genitive, dative, or accusative-a function usually performed by word order or prepositions in English. Begin with the eight noun endings of the primarily feminine first declension.

1. The Greek Alphabet & Pronunciation

March 4, 2016

Learn the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet using the restored classical pronunciation, recognizing that there was some variation in pronunciation in the ancient world. Practice the pairings of vowels called diphthongs, and sound out a selection of words that you will soon be reading in sentences.

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Where to Watch Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language

Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language is available for streaming on the The Great Courses Signature Collection website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language on demand at Amazon Prime, Amazon and Hoopla.