Has anyone played untill the bitter end?

[Bereta_Eder]

quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 01-24-2001 06:04 AM I briefly studied Classical Greek - Demotic Greek is I fear a closed book to me

Well, if you can remember some classical greek you have an advantage if you visit Greece since 70% of the words in demotic (or modern) greek are the same. Especially the nouns but less the verbs.
Still the syntax has changed SO much that a whole sentence in modern greek would be very hard to understand although you could still get some of the words.

A english friend of mine actually amazed me when we first met since he could understand almost half of what I was saying in greek. He KNEW (and I mean to the point of near perfection) ancient greek and he would answer me in ancient greek too! and I'd understand half of it and so on. After some mintues though we always switched to english, otherwise the conversation would take too long

[Bereta_Eder]

dp

[This message has been edited by paiktis22 (edited January 25, 2001).]

[Scouse Gits]

It's the modern spelling that more than anything else defeats me - keeping things on topic, Bar should become Bar it took me far to long to discover that I should have been looking for an "Umpah" (Mpar)!!

Thanks for the plug - but SG(2) does far more testing work than I.



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Scouse Git[1]

"CARTAGO DELENDA EST" - Cato the Censor
"The Great Library must be built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven

[East Street Trader]

paiktis

For a century or two in England the study of the classics (Greek and Latin) was considered essential for all (or, at least, all men) who aspired to be considered cultured (Scotland is rather different, having always been more open to modern continental European influence).

Study of the languages themselves were part of this but it also extended to study of the great classical writers, art, architecture and ancient history.

The SGs and I are of an age and this entrenched position of the classics was declining towards its end when we were young men. I had to sit (and fail, I am afraid) a paper in Latin if I wanted a place at Cambridge University whatever subject I then wished to study there. But I was one of the last to face that requirement. I struck luckier with legal qualifications - the requirement for Latin had gone by the time I was seeking to qualify.

Greek and Latin continued to be extensively taught in our public schools (that is schools only open to those who can afford to pay fees) right up until quite recently. But even there I believe it is now rare.

Classics faculties in our universities are closing for lack of students.

The civil service used to harbour many who had chosen to continue their studies of the classics at University. I have to say it did seem to produce administrators of some stature. They could, at least, be counted on to know how to express themselves. And to intimidate politicians at need.

For some reason those who taught classics, whether at school or university, were particularly likely to be rather eccentric. The type is well represented in our literature. Some were very endearing folk with a great enthusiasm for their subject. Some were just horrid.

Latin was always considered much the easier of the two languages - for reasons that your exchanges with SG(1) make clear. He'll not admit to it, I'm sure, but if he did much more than rudimentary Greek at school his teachers probably considered him one of the brighter lads.

As one who is no linguist I have never known who to envy more, the person who can converse fluently in their own language with modern flesh and blood folk in the here and now, or someone who can read Aristotle or Pliny or Aristophanes.

[Scouse Gits]

[threadjack]

quote: Originally posted by East Street Trader on 01-26-2001 06:38 AM Latin was always considered much the easier of the two languages - for reasons that your exchanges with SG(1) make clear. He'll not admit to it, I'm sure, but if he did much more than rudimentary Greek at school his teachers probably considered him one of the brighter lads.

My italics - and whyever not, EST!
As a product of the public school system (as a scholar in fact) I had rudimentary Classical Greek, a full year's (Caesarian) Latin and gained my place at Cambridge by demonstrating competence in two Modern Languages (French & German) so as to read Mathematics. It was, in fact, the mathematics that encouraged / enabled me to maintain facility with the Greek alphabet - hence my comment on the terminal Sigma above - that came from Greek not from maths - for reference both my Greek and Latin vocabularies are lamentable - largely based upon pidgin English and that wonderful invention the online dictionary. My French is adequate, "Six bouteilles, s'il vout plait!" and my German (only ever practiced during my period as a research student as many of the papers in my field at that time were published in German) now virtually defunct.

[/threadjack]



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Scouse Git[1]

"CARTAGO DELENDA EST" - Cato the Censor
"The Great Library must be built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven

[Bereta_Eder]

quote: Originally posted by East Street Trader on 01-26-2001 06:38 AM For some reason those who taught classics, whether at school or university, were particularly likely to be rather eccentric. The type is well represented in our literature. Some were very endearing folk with a great enthusiasm for their subject. Some were just horrid.

This is not a british only phainomenon. It's the same in Greece, their eccentricity is surpassed only by their passion for their field of study! It is depicted very clearly in (modern) greek literature as well.

Every now and then there are heated discussions as to «how much» ancient greek should be taught in the greek schools. Dark forgotten in the past voices echo from the forests saying too little is «betreaying our tradition and impoverish our modern language» and the cold 21th century technocrats point out that most of this school time should be better used teaching computer. The answer I think is (as with most things) somewhere in the middle.

SG, when in Greece instead of going to a Ìðáñ (that you have propably visited in your homeland - they're pretty much the same) is better to go to a teverna where you drink as much but the food is also excellent (AVOID TOURIST RESORTS when trying this - ask a local!)

[Christantine The Great]

aHEM!

My only Diety game (I only play SMAC now) with Civ was a wild ride. I started out as the Romans, as usual. I quickly expanded my borders to be about the same as the Byzantine Empire and stopped. BIG mistake. I was soon boxed in by the Vikings from the north, the Egyptians from the South, The English from the west, the Chinese from the east. I quietly kept to myself, except for a war with the Vikings that never officially ended. I built up my cities well, my capital Christantinople was the finest city on Earth, until the Sioux took over. The Sioux came in hoards aganst the Egyptians and Engish, who had been at war for hundreds of years. The weakened empires fell quickly to the Sioux. The English were driven from the British Isles, Africa, and Greenland. Suprisingly one of their last cities was deep in Sioux territory. It fell leaving only one city on the east coast of Africa. While this was happening my country was being overrun by the superior weapons of the Sioux and the shear numbers on the Vikings. I sent out a transport to Australia, right under the dying Chinese Empire. I made four cities by the time my last home cities were conquered. I had pillaged them before then. My last four cities prospered for a while until the Sioux built the Apollo Program, ending my cities secret. I escaped to Madagascar where I lived out my days near the Egyptians until they took my last city. It was 2230 C.E.

[Cannes]

hehe That's quite cool. I never play to the end if I can see that there is no possible way that I can regain the lost terrain... I do hang on for quite a while, but when it gets beyond hopeless I start over...

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You know the question, just as I did.
What is the matrix?