Greek Language History

Greek is an Indo-European language on record for the past 34 centuries. About 13 million people in Greece and Cyprus speak Greek, the official language of these nations. Greek also has a minority presence in Italy, Armenia, Albania and Ukraine. Greek speakers also reside in areas of the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Brazil. Greek is also one of the official languages of the European Union.

Early Greek

Mycenaean Greek

The earliest form of written Greek was recorded on Linear B tablets starting in the 14th or 15th century. The surviving tablets are inscribed with lists and inventories. This is the earliest record of any European language. Michael Ventris, an English architect and classical scholar, deciphered the writing system in 1952.

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek was the language spoken in Greece during the Archaic and Classical periods. Ancient Greek was used from the 9th century B.C.E. to the 6th century C.E. Ancient Greek is the language in which Homer wrote, as well as the language in which the New Testament was written. Ancient Greek is not often used in modern Greece, although some modern poets have written in Ancient Greek, mainly to show admiration and respect for the language.

Koine Greek

Koine Greek became the lingua franca in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. Koine Greek was the combination of different Ancient Greek dialects. It became the common dialect. Koine Greek can be traced from Alexander the Great’s conquered lands. After the Hellenistic Period, Koine Greek spread from Egypt to India.

Medieval Greek

This version of Greek was spoken during the Byzantine Empire. People spoke Medieval Greek until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century. In Medieval Greek, the written and spoken forms differed greatly. The spoken form was based on Koine Greek and resembled Modern Greek in grammar and syntax by 1000 C.E. Written Greek purposefully remained more classic and old-fashioned than the spoken medieval Greek. Literary authors used the archaic written language.

Modern Greek

The roots of Modern Greek can be traced as far back as the 11th century. Its many dialects are still in use today. Modern Greek dialects include Demotic Greek, Kartharevousa, Pontic, Cappadocian, Italiot, Yevanic and Tsakonian. Demotic Greek is further split into Northern and Southern dialects.

Modern Greek is written using the Greek alphabet. In 1982, most of the written accents marks were dropped from Greek because they no longer represented how the language was spoken. Since 1982, Greek speakers have written Greek in a monotonic form, a simplified version of the Greek polytonic system. The monotonic form includes only two accent marks: the diaresis and the acute accent.

In modern Greece, dialects are becoming less common outside of the most rural areas. This is due to the growing influence of the media and national educational systems. Dialects are not used in written Greek except to make a point in literature.

Modern Day Greek Speaking Countries

• Greece
• Cyprus

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