Professional Greek Translator

Greek - interesting facts

The Greek language, rich in history and deeply influential to numerous languages worldwide, is spoken natively by approximately 13 million individuals, which equates to about 0.2% of the global population. This places it as the 75th most commonly spoken language among native speakers. It serves as the official language of Greece and Cyprus. At the same time, it's also recognized as a minority language in countries as diverse as Albania, Armenia, Romania, Turkey, the United States, Hungary, and Ukraine.

The Greek language, part of POZENA's multilingual translation services, belongs to its independent branch within the Indo-European family, known as the Hellenic languages. Remarkably, Greek boasts the most extended documented literary history of any living language today, spanning nearly 3.5 thousand years. Ancient Greek, once the lingua franca of the ancient Mediterranean basin, has been pivotal in shaping European culture and scientific discourse. Indeed, a significant segment of modern scientific terminology traces its roots back to Greek.

The Byzantine Empire's primary language was Medieval Greek, which naturally transitioned into Modern Greek over the centuries. The official variant of Modern Greek, known as δημοτική (dīmotikí), was only officially accepted in the 1970s. Before this, Katharevousa, a Greek form that retained many classical elements, was considered the national variant. Today, Greek comprises six dialectal groups.

The Greek alphabet, born in the 9th century BC from the Phoenician script, has experienced numerous transformations throughout the ages. Its importance is immeasurable, as it served as a precursor to other writing systems, including the Latin alphabet, Gothic script, and Cyrillic. Furthermore, it was the first writing system to include vowels, and its letters are presently used to denote angles in geometry.

The Center for the Greek Language is the body responsible for regulating the use of Greek, which is also an official language of the European Union. Greek is an inflected language characterized by a complex grammatical structure, where nouns and adjectives decline for four cases, two numbers, and three genders. Verbs conjugate two numbers and three persons, and Modern Greek recognizes one present tense, four past tenses, and three future tenses.

Interestingly, the Greek language does not utilize the infinitive. Instead, a verb's basic form is the first-person singular present tense. Greek's influence reaches far and wide, especially impacting modern European languages. It's estimated that around 30% of English words are derived directly or indirectly from classical Greek, underscoring Greek's profound and enduring influence.

The longevity of the Greek language

The Greek language is one of the oldest languages in the world, dating back about 3,500 years. Due to its rich history, the Greek language has received various dialects and forms, such as ancient, koine and modern Greek. For comparison, Polish has a history of about 1,000 years, which makes it a much younger language than Greek.

Richness of grammar

The grammar of the Greek language is complex. Greek has three grammatical types, seven cases and various forms of verbs. However, it is worth noting that Poles have an advantage in learning Greek thanks to their knowledge of cases in our language.

Impressive literature

The Greek language abounds in literary masterpieces, which form the basis of Western culture and science. Famous works such as Homer's Iliad, Odyssey, and Sophocles's Antigone have influenced the development of literature and philosophy worldwide. Knowledge of Greek lets you directly come into contact with these works, discovering their depth and beauty.

Greek as a language of learning

The Greek language played a key role in the development of science, especially in antiquity. Many scientists, mathematicians and philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, created their works in Greek. Even today, many scientific terms, especially in mathematics, medicine or philosophy, are derived from Greek.

New Testament Greek

The New Testament was written in Greek koine, which makes it extremely interesting for people who want to explore Christianity. Thanks to the knowledge of Greek, one can better understand the original meaning of the biblical texts, bringing a deeper spiritual and intellectual experience for people speaking Polish.

Greek Culture and Tradition

Greece is the cradle of many aspects of Western culture, such as democracy, philosophy and theatre. Learning the Greek language allows for a fuller understanding of these phenomena and for discovering the richness of Greek culture and history. It is also an opportunity to learn about Greek customs, music and cuisine, which significantly differ from Polish ones.

Contemporary Greece

Greece is not only ancient but also a modern country with a rich cultural heritage. Learning the Greek language allows you to communicate with the Greeks and better understand their mentality and values. Greece is also a popular holiday destination for Poles, and knowledge of the Greek language makes it easier to communicate with residents and discover less touristy places.

Shaping English Language and Culture

The influence of Ancient Greek on the English language has been profound and pervasive, spanning several centuries and myriad disciplines. This enduring legacy is seen in the direct loanwords from Greek and in Latin borrowings with Greek roots.

Greek influence is particularly prominent in academic, scientific, and technical vocabularies. A substantial part of the terminology in medicine, physics, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy is of Greek origin. Words such as 'psychology', 'philosophy', 'rhetoric', 'geometry', and 'chronology' are all borrowed from Greek. In medicine, terms like 'cardiology', 'paediatrics', 'pathology' and 'anatomy' showcase Greek roots.

This influence extends to everyday English too. Words like 'drama', 'chorus', 'rhythm', 'cinema', 'scene', 'program', 'idea', 'climax', and 'symbol' are all Greek. Even the word 'alphabet' derives from 'alpha' and 'beta', the first two letters of the Greek alphabet.

Prefixes and suffixes of Greek origin have also become integral to the English language. For instance, '-logy' (study of), '-phobia' (fear of), 'hyper-' (over, above), and 'hypo-' (under, below) are widely used to form new words.

The influence of Ancient Greek on English extends beyond the lexical level to the semantic, syntactic, and morphological aspects of language. It has informed the creation of compound words and has provided a rich source of idiomatic expressions. Many scientific principles, philosophical concepts, and literary tropes embedded in English are rooted in the Greek tradition.

Even though English is a Germanic language, the impact of Greek, primarily through Latin and French, has been fundamental in shaping it into the globally dominant language it is today. The longevity and depth of Greek influence underscore the ancient civilization's enduring legacy and its foundational role in the Western intellectual tradition.

Your Essential Greek Dictionary

English	Greek
yes	ναι
no	όχι
please	παρακαλώ
thank you	ευχαριστώ
I'm sorry	συγγνώμη
good morning	καλημέρα
good evening	καλησπέρα
goodbye	καληνύχτα
good night	αντίο
hi	γεια σου (στον χαιρετισμό)
how are you?	Πώς είσαι;
well	Ευχαριστώ, καλά.
My name is...	Με λένε...
I don't understand	Δεν καταλαβαίνω

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