Greek seems to contain all of the structures in Aitchison's diagram. In our classes, Dan and I have covered most of phonetics and phonology, and have touched on some syntax, morphology, and semantics. In our general discussion in and out of class we have also seen some pragmatics through translating songs or talking about Greek history and culture. It is my opinion that you have not truly learned a language until you have put it into context. For this reason, when I am helping Dan learn Greek, I try to explain not only how a sound, a word, or a sentence are formed or structured, but also why they are this way, how have they evolved and changed when compared to ancient Greek, and what was that context around which they were formed. For example, the reason there are 5 different letters/diphthongs that today make the same 'ee' sound is because in Ancient Greek, which was a more melodic language, each of those had a different length associated with it that affected the rhythm of the word. Same for 'o' and 'e' (as in bed) sounds.
The reason I choose to teach Dan in this way is because I noticed that my understanding of the Greek language was significantly bettered when I learned Ancient Greek, and it also made spelling and complex syntax much much easier. Dan is also a logic learner like me, so it helps him learn and/or remember something better if he understands why it is the way it is.
Comments
Interesting post, Smaragda. Be careful with the distinction, however, between sound and spelling. Diphthongs are not letters, but sounds or phonetic segments.