The best Greek is marked by a sense of proportion, by a striving for just the right word to convey the thought, and by a simplicity and directness of expression. With these qualities of good style we shall become familiar. More than that, we shall learn the fundamental meaning of a host of words that otherwise would seem strange and forbidding in the technical terminology of many fields of interest —in art, in science, in politics, and in the church. A distinguished scientist states that “In an experience of more than forty years as a teacher of medical students I easily distinguish among my auditors those who know Greek and those who do not, especially when I use scientific terms, such as «toxicogenic bacillus» or a «pathognomonic symptom». I see the eyes of the former fill with the light of comprehension, while those of the latter are closed in ignorance and mystification.”
(Henry L. Crosby & John N. Schaeffer, An introduction to Greek, Boston 1928, p. xxii)
2 comentaris:
A França, quan jo era alumne de Secundària, estudiar grec encara volia dir, entre altres coses, desenvolupar "l'esprit de finesse".
A Alemanya, no fa gaire, qui volia estudiar medicina havia de cursar llatí o grec al Gymnasium.
Cal no perdre mai eixe sense of proportion.
Sí, Josep, tens tota la raó. No es tracta de perdre el sentit de l'equilibri. És que potser mai no l'hem tingut! El nostre ensenyament és a la cua d'Europa. On ens pensàvem que érem? I això no s'arregla d'un dia per l'altre... però d'un dia per l'altre, amb un simple "decretazo" o amb una "llei de país" es pot fer molt mal. Un mal que després s'arrossega durant generacions. O no?
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