[Mesorah] Seeking English-Language Dikduk Curriculum

[Akiva Miller via Mesorah]

Ditto!

Except that I'd replace "somewhere around abysmal" with "abysmal at best".

Akiva Miller

On Nov 27, 2016 12:48 PM, "Ephraim Rothstein via Mesorah" <
mesorah at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:

> I am a reasonably well-educated yeshiva graduate who has come to the
> realization that my understanding of dikduk hovers somewhere around the
> abysmal. I don't know that my ignorance in these matters is unique in my
> generation, but some time ago I determined to do something about it. After
> looking around for several months, I find myself at a dead end. I don't
> know if what I'm looking for simply doesn't exist, but I thought I'd
> describe it in the hopes that someone here can offer some sound advice.
>
> What I am looking for is a relatively sophisticated English language book
> (or monograph, or shiur, etc.) written by/for a Torah faithful Jew, that
> details the basic grammar (syntax, morphology, etc.) of Lashon Hakodesh
> (Biblical Hebrew, not Mishnaic/Rabbinic).
>
> I have found good grammars for Modern Hebrew, but the differences in the
> language are fairly significant. There are many English-language Biblical
> Hebrew grammars written by/for non-Jews (academics, theologians, etc.) but
> I don't know how reliable these are in our Mesorah and in any event I
> really can't bring myself to learn Lashon HaKodesh from a non-Jew; even if
> it isn't heretical, it just doesn't feel right. Lastly, there are any
> number of grammars written in Hebrew/Lashon HaKodesh (Gra, Ramchal, Malbim,
> etc.) but I find it incredibly difficult to absorb the concepts when they
> are written in another language and specially without the ability to draw
> parallels to the grammatical system with which I'm already familiar.
>
> The ironic thing is that there are several such books for Aramaic (e.g.
> Grammar for Gemara by R' Yitzhak Frank). But I cannot for the life of me
> find anything remotely like this in English, beyond seventh grade Binyanim
> worksheets.
>
> I have a generally sophisticated grasp of English grammatical concepts--I
> may not be able to list off every verb form verbatim, but I can basically
> tell the difference between a verbal and a gerund, between a mood and an
> aspect, and between a subjunctive and an indicative. I genuinely believe
> that have such an understanding of the dikduk of the Torah would
> immeasurably enhance every aspect of my learning. If I've missed a book out
> there that meets this need, please let me know; otherwise, if you can
> suggest some sort of curriculum or combination of books that would lead me
> along this journey, it would be very much appreciated.
>
>
>
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