Greek is a language that is spoken in Greece, Cyprus, Albania, and the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. It is the official language of Greece and the official language of the Republic of Cyprus together with Turkish. Greek is classified as a separate branch of the Indo-European language family and has a written history of more than 3,500 years. Ancient Greek, also known as “Greek,” was used during the Classical Greek civilization. Although Modern Greek is distinct from Ancient Greek, it has its roots in it. The Greek language has primarily been written using the Greek alphabet throughout history and this writing system is still used today. While most native Greek speakers live in Greece, there are approximately 13 million people worldwide who speak it as their first language, particularly in Australia, Germany, and the United States.

Historical Development

The Greek language is one of the few that has been used continuously for a very long time and has produced significant literary works in every period of history. The language’s historical development can be divided into several parts, including Mycenaean Greek. This language was spoken in the Peloponnese and Crete areas before the Doric invasions and was written in Linear B, which was derived from the Phoenician alphabet. It is also the earliest known language in the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European languages.

Mycenaean Greek : The oldest known language of the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European languages is Mycenaean Greek, which was spoken in the Peloponnese and Crete region before the Doric invasions and written in Linear B, a writing system derived from the Phoenician alphabet.

Classical Greek : After the Doric invasion, the dialects spoken on both sides of the Aegean Sea were combined to form a language known as Greek. This language is made up of four significant dialects, which are Doric, Aeolian, Ionic-Attiki, and Arcadia-Cypriot.

Hellenistic Greek : The dominance of Athens in politics led to the unification of the four Classical Greek dialects and the creation of a common language, known as “Koine” Greek. During the end of Antiquity, Hellenistic Greek was spoken across a vast area stretching from Macedonia to India, serving as a lingua franca for the Middle East, North Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean region. This lingua franca was used for both New Testament Greek and the official language of the Roman Empire, which was Greek.

Medieval Greek : During the Early Middle Ages, Hellenistic Greek underwent a transformation into the vernacular language of the Eastern Roman Empire, which became known as “Greek-Roman.” This new language was widely spoken by the people in the Eastern Mediterranean, both north and south of the Black Sea, as well as in the Middle East.

Modern Greek : After Modern Greece was established, the state declared “Catharevusa” as its official language, an attempt to revive Ancient Classical Greek. This dialect was exclusively used in schools and public offices, despite being unfamiliar to most people who continued to speak Folk Greek (Demotiki) at home and on the streets. As Demotiki started to decline, it was allowed to be taught in schools starting in 1964, resulting in a bilingual education system that lasted until 1976. In that year, Greece enacted a law removing catharevusa as the official language and replacing it with Demotiki, or “Folk Greek”, as the new official language. This change ensured that the language spoken in schools, public offices, and homes would be the same.

Emphasis

In Greek, the stresses placed on the vowels are the first noticeable feature. These stress marks, referred to as “tonos,” can alter both the pronunciation and meaning of a word. Every word with two or more syllables has stress. To demonstrate the significance of the accent mark, consider this example: “Είμαι γερός” means “I am healthy,” whereas “Είμαι γέρος” means “I am old” due to the different placement of stress on a distinct vowel.

Writing

The earliest known Greek texts were written using the Linear B writing system, which dates back to the 15th century BC. This syllabic writing system is thought to have been derived from the non-Greek Minoan Linear A script, which remains undeciphered. The first samples of the Cypriot syllabic script, which has its origins in Linear A, were produced in the 11th century BC. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Greek has been written primarily using the Greek alphabet, which was derived from the Phoenician alphabet. Over time, various changes have occurred in the letters of the alphabet, with some falling out of use and others undergoing sound changes. The table presented below displays the sound values, corresponding numbers, and Latin alphabet equivalents for each letter.

Cultural and Linguistic Impact

The contribution of Greek to civilization, especially to the civilizations of Europe and the Middle East, has been enormous. Greek is one of the languages that has left the most traces in human history, due to its intermediary position in the connection of Antiquity to the Middle Ages and today. For this reason, Greek has a great influence on science, philosophy and art terminology and on other languages of the world.

Language Schools for Foreigners

In addition to many private education institutions and private teaching institutions that provide Greek education to foreigners in Greece, there are also highly experienced and successful language schools within the Universities. You can find information about the required documents and fees for registration in the relevant links.

• School of Contemporary Greek Language, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ( https://smg.web.auth.gr/may2019b/en/ )
• Center for Contemporary Greek Language Teaching at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens ( https://en.greekcourses.uoa.gr/ )