Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <brocine AT earthlink.net>]

Hi Randy,

   You are selling a natural approach to teaching/learning
BH complete with testimonials, but I am not buying yet
(keep in mind that I have taught English as a second
language using a strictly natural approach).  A natural
approach requires immersion in the target language, which at
best may be accomplished for BH by approximation = immersion
into Modern Hebrew.  You recognize this as an approximation
but you still laud the experience because gaining fluency in
Modern Hebrew offers to the student much greater ease when
reading the Tanakh.  But I am not convinced that the ease
with which one may re-code the Tanakh is the same as
internalizing BH or fluency in BH or even reading BH!  May a
Tanakh reader who is fluent in Modern Hebrew merely be very
fluent at re-coding BH into Modern Hebrew, which only feels
to him like reading but is actually misunderstanding?

Shalom,
Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

(office) 315-437-6744
(home) 315-445-3085