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Mr.Vercetti · 12-09-2006, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by RC45

When an 8 year old can read Tintin, Asterix, The Encyclopedia of the Art and Inventins of Leonardo Da Vinci, The Illustrated History of the Royal Navy, Greek Mythology, Peter Rabbits Giant Storybook, The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, The Atlas of the Human Anatomy, Beneath the North Atlantic and Treasure Island as well as misc Nation Audobon Society Field Guides and Archie comics , who am I to try curtail her thirst for knowledge? If she wants to learn Latin, it is my duty to provide her with the resources and encourage to do so.

aahh... so?... Are these supposed to be some kind of advanced reading in the US?...

Mr.Vercetti · 12-09-2006, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by graywolf624

*The greek school system sucks even worse then US public school.. Hardly the example yardstick... I really enjoyed the stories about country wide public school protests by school age children due to the complete ineptitude of the programs available back in the 80s. Having to go to a second school just to get basic college prep is .. well.. sad.

??... Who said that?...

Mr.Vercetti · 12-09-2006, 06:34 AM

Ohh.. and here's a free lesson for you RC45..The right name is Hellas and not Greece. You can see for yourself:

Hellas = Ελλάς
Greece = Ελλάς

nthfinity · 12-09-2006, 06:53 AM

What I don't understand is why aren't you encouraging somebody to learn?

warn that it is dificult; sure.... there are NO illusions to that.

What happens when an 8 year old invests a few hours a day to learning such a language... nobody said it wouldn't take years to learn.... but at 8; would she not have a head start on those studying in universities 10 years later?

Mr.Vercetti · 12-09-2006, 08:16 AM

^^^^

I don't discourage anyone. All I'm saying is that given the fact that I know ancient Greek (at school its mandatory from 3-6 years) I think that it would be extremely hard for such a young kid to understand them. To give an idea of how difficult they are I also said that we start to learn them at junior high(and RC45 made his first "hater" comment).
Anyway I already said what I think. I wont bother with this topic again.

Mattk · 12-09-2006, 08:44 AM

I guess we may need to hit up a college book store for the Greek text books

My uni doesn't even have the "dead" languages anymore. Probably due to lack of demand. Hell, it doesn't even have Russian anymore.

But yeah, an academic bookstore would be the obvious place to start, but it's excessively difficult, if not impossible, to teach yourself any language, particularly ones which aren't used anymore (except for certain Latin phrases). I'm sure there are numerous cash-strapped individuals who will be able to provide tutoring of some description, though.

gucom · 12-09-2006, 09:18 AM

At the gymnasium (certain level of highschool) i attended we started studying ancient latin at age 12 and ancient greek at 13 (i quit after 2 years but thats another story

), so its definitely possible for non-native speakers to become proficient enough at those languages to read texts, even at a young age. People all over the world do it, if your daughter's smart enough and puts in the commitment she'll learn it too...

Daggernite · 12-09-2006, 09:19 AM

Learning any language will be hard. But I think starting at a young age really helps as most people I know who can speak two languages learnt at a young age. I think young minds are liek a spong and absorb knowlege alot better than older people. Having a dad that has nothing but believe and confidence and support for his daughter is a great thing :good:

gucom · 12-09-2006, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Daggernite

Having a dad that has nothing but believe and confidence and support for his daughter is a great thing :good:

no doubt about that

graywolf624 · 12-09-2006, 11:01 AM

To give an idea of how difficult they are I also said that we start to learn them at junior high(and RC45 made his first "hater" comment).

Nothing to do with hating. Your school system is known to be amongst the worst in the world. That doesn't come from me either, that comes from several individuals I know that went through it in the 80s (the last girl I almost moved in with comes to mind). It is certainly possible for a really gifted 8 year old to keep up with the average jr, in any country. We see it here all the time. Given that it is even more possible in a country with known major educational issues.

Furthermore, it is a known fact that children learn foreign languages easier then adults. You develop speach patterns and habits early on. It is extremely difficult to break these for a foreign language at an older age.

I'll put money down she'll learn it faster then anyone of an advanced age if she is dedicated. That includes myself.

Mattk · 12-09-2006, 11:05 AM

Latin and Ancient Greek aren't exactly spoken languages.

graywolf624 · 12-09-2006, 11:07 AM

^^Yes but to be honest you are going to learn best both speaking and reading. They are intertwined. If you can't hear it in your head, you probably will fail miserably at learning. Unfortunately I learned German at 14... When I speak German I am translating in my head.

My former girlfriend learned english and was an expert (certified teacher no less) by 14. She thinks in both English and Greek.

Mattk · 12-09-2006, 11:09 AM

^Yes, of course, but who's going to teach her? You can't learn everything out of books.

graywolf624 · 12-09-2006, 11:10 AM

^Hence the website suggestion above.
It has everything from text to sound clips. It is just one of about a 100 out there. Hell.. Theres probably someone in Houston that speaks ancient greek. The one thing I like about the US. We are so diverse you can get a taste of any country or language in the world if you seek it out.

Mattk · 12-09-2006, 11:13 AM

Theres probably someone in Houston that speaks ancient greek.

No, no-one speaks ancient Greek. But, yes, I'm sure someone would be able to teach her. I do think that some form of human guidance is necessary to learn languages.