THE GREEK LANGUAGE AROUND THE WORLD  

by Professor Anthony N.  Kounadis

Academy of Athens

Summary

The Greek language, a fundamental element of our national being, of European civilization and of universal intellectual activity, has been spoken and cultivated constantly and without interruption for over 3,500 years by the same people and in the same geographical location. The Greek language is a great example of linguistic continuity, a unique phenomenon of radiance, a language that according to linguists and intellectuals alike has served as the basic vehicle for disseminating civilization around the world since Antiquity.

Today’s address is a also a great honour for Hellenic Language Heritage, a cultural society whose aim, as stated in its Charter, is to preserve, promote and disseminate the Greek language. Our Society has organized numerous events attended by large audiences. The creation of Hellenic Language Heritage has been welcomed and supported by numerous personalities: three Presidents of the Hellenic Republic, representatives of all political parties currently sitting in the Greek Parliament, former Prime Ministers, former and current ministers, Heads of the Supreme Court, academics, faculty deans, ambassadors, people representing the arts, sciences and letters, generals, media representatives, businessmen, cultural societies and associations, as well as many other bodies and agencies. The first person to serve as president of our Society is the current President of the Hellenic Republic.

After reviewing an extensive international bibliography on the Greek language, I came to the conclusion that Francisco R. Adrados’ latest work, entitled “A history of the Greek language: from its origins to the present”, gives by far the most accurate account of the history and evolution of the Greek language, from its origins to its current form, that is, from “katharevoussa” to “modern Greek”. In this book, the Spanish linguist and Hellenist states that “Greek along with Chinese are the only languages demonstrating a continuous presence and uninterrupted evolution, which occurs almost in the same geographical area and by the same people for over 4,000 years. Written tradition is 3,500 years long.”

Viewed from this perspective, Greek is a “mother tongue” to the Western world, a source from which every other Western language drew its elements. Adrados goes as far as to claim that all Western languages secretly originated from Greek. From a purely historical perspective, one has to acknowledge that Greek was not the first language to develop a writing system: other written languages emerged in the wider area of the Middle East before Greek. Most of them disappeared. Some still exist but are of limited use. Unlike these languages, during the Mycenaean era, during Homer’s time and up until the present day, the Greek language, in its various forms, represents one language, a unified system, an undivided and unbreakable language, a mutually complemented and diachronically evolved system that possesses its own dynamic. This is where the real treasure and the abiding source of wealth of the Greek language reside. Moreover, Greek is a universal “Term bank”, an unfailing source for creating scientific and technological terminology. Here is a typical example: Homer’s vocabulary consisted of 6,300 words, 1,800 of which exist nowadays with limited semantic variations. John Chadwick, who along with Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B, once said: “The language used by a shepherd in a remote area somewhere in the Peloponnesus 1,200 years before Jesus was born is the same Greek language spoken nowadays, despite its differences.” The Greek, thanks to its rich vocabulary and its capacity to create new words, but mainly due to its mathematical structure, is the language of information technology per se and the one upon which new and improved generations of computers will be developed.

The emergence of the Greek language, in its various dialects, goes back to 2000 B.C. Since the 3^rd and 2^nd century B.C., the Greek language and Greek civilization —through the vehicle of language— have expanded throughout the Middle East to reach the farthest corners of Asia. The 2^nd century B.C. was a major landmark for Greek: Dionysius Thrax wrote the first grammar under the title “Art of Grammar”, while Apollonius “The Difficult” produced “On the syntax of the parts of speech”. During the Roman era, Cicero maintained and increased the prestige and use of Greek as an international language. He once declared that “One is utterly mistaken if one considers that one is going to be less famous when writing verses in Greek instead of Latin, simply because Greek is read by almost every nation”. The predominance of the Greek language during that time made it the linguistic vehicle par excellence to be used in producing the Bible and in disseminating the new religion, Christianity, which still prevails as a dominant dogma among citizens of the European Union.

The Greek language played a key role in the Hellenization of the Roman Empire. Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople and subsequently New Rome, was proclaimed the seat of the Roman State by Constantine the Great. During that time, the Greek language progressively became the sole means for communication and expression within the Empire. Emperor Heraclius solidified the Greek language’s stronghold.

During the dark period following the Fall of Constantinople and the four hundred years of Ottoman occupation, the Greek spirit did not wither. Thanks to the contribution of the Church, despite numerous difficulties and against all odds, the Greek language survived and so did the Nation, since, as Nikos Kazantzakis once said, language is a people’s true “patria”.

From the Renaissance onward, eminent intellectuals from the West deeply admired Greek as a language and decided to delve into its treasures. Special credit must be given to all the efforts put forth by the Hellenists who published basic dictionaries of Ancient Greek, such as Stefanos and Liddell-Scott, as well as the latest contribution, namely Adrados’ Greek-Spanish dictionary.

It is important to mention that Greek does not exist in Greece alone. It lives, breathes and prospers in other countries and inside other languages, through its grammar, structure, words, and roots found in many foreign words.

Lately, a wind of change has been blowing over the Greek language. It favours teaching and learning both Ancient and Modern Greek in institutions all around the world, from Chile to Vladivostok to Australia. Two years ago, an article appeared in Greek newspapers on Dmitri Mahoutin’s efforts to teach Greek in Tomsk (Siberia) in the newly established Centre for Cultures. Last August, Alexandra Panoutsou was awarded the “teacher of the year” award for her inspirational work on “transmitting to her Australian students her passion for the Greek language and for attracting many students in her classroom”. This took place at a school in Victoria where Mrs. Panoutsou teaches Greek. One should also acknowledge the considerable work and incommensurable contribution of the National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia under the unfaltering guidance of its Director, Anastasios M. Tamis.

In the Kingdom of Tonga (Polynesia) in the South Pacific, Dr. I. Futa Helu, professor of philosophy, has founded the Atenisi Institute, an institute of critical education, where Classical Studies and Ancient Greek are at the forefront. In Alaska, a small cluster of fifty families speaks Greek. Greek speech resonates in almost every corner of the world. Greek boys and girls learn their mother tongue in many African countries such as Egypt, Zambia, Cameroon, Soudan, Burundi, and Malawi. Greek schools operate in Damascus and Halepi in Syria, in the United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East, and in Jordan. In Lebanon, the Greek community has more than 3,000 members. In North America, as well as in Latin and Central America, new chairs in Hellenic Studies have been created and the existing ones are constantly upgraded. Recently, there has been a decline in interest in the United States vis-à-vis the Greek language; it seems, however, that the situation is being reversed, thanks in part to the considerable efforts deployed by the Greek Diaspora. The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation played a central role in reversing this negative trend. As a result, Greek language teaching is progressively re-gaining lost ground. A case in point is a 300-student school in Harlem, New York, where Greek is taught as a second language, thanks to the persistence of the school’s principal.

Despite all these efforts, the Greek Diaspora, along with the local archdioceses and the Greek Government, needs to address the issue of teaching Greek in the United States. There are dozens of Chairs of Neohellenic Studies in Latin America and Iberia, which demonstrates people’s desire to learn Greek and the love and appreciation these countries have for Classical Studies and Greek civilization. From Granada to the Basque country, to Caracas (Venezuela), to Lisbon (Portugal) and all the way to Buenos Aires, university lecture halls and atria are bursting at the seams with students enrolled in Neohellenic Studies courses in an effort to quench their thirst for knowledge of the Greek language. In Spain alone, since the creation of the Society for Neohellenic Studies (La Sociedad Hispánica de Estudios Neogriegos) in 1997, there are 20 university chairs, departments and institutes; Modern Greek is an optional course in secondary education. Universities in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil show an equally strong interest in the Greek language. This is due, in part, to the actions undertaken by the Greek Diaspora in Latin America in diffusing Neohellenic Studies and in creating strong roots for everything Greek.

The reasons behind the “revival” of Greek studies in Spain and Portugal do not differ from those that make the Greek language and Neohellenic Studies so popular in Latin America. The only difference resides in the fact that there is a small Greek presence in the Iberian Peninsula. The case of Spain is extremely interesting, especially if compared to that of Great Britain, Germany and Italy, where a strong Greek presence translates into numerous centres for learning Greek. According to Dr. Moschos Morfakidis, professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Philology and Director of the Centre of Byzantine, Modern Greek and Cypriot Studies, there is great potential for Neohellenic Studies in Spain and considerable room for expanding and strenghtening this discipline.

When talking about the Greek language in Spain, one must mention the Greek-Spanish Dictionary (Diccionario griego-español), a dictionary of Ancient Greek covering the period up to the Justinian era, compiled under the direction of F. R. Adrados, a fellow of the Greek Academy. For this specific work, Hellenic Language Heritage paid homage to Adrados, a top linguist and a high caliber Hellenist, at a special ceremony held at the Athens Concert Hall on November 18, 2003, within the framework of a conference on the “Diachronic character of the Greek language” .

Interest in the Greek language seemed reason enough for Spaniards to develop a program for learning Greek,. In the same vein, the University of California Irvine has created a computer program to collect the treasures of the Greek language (the “Ibyco” program). It already contains millions of lexical items as well as an archive of 8,000 books authored by 4,000 Ancient Greek writers. As far as lexical entries are concerned, the creators of the program estimate that they will eventually reach an outstanding 90 million.

In the new republics of the Former Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine —particularly around the Crimean and the Azovian regions— Georgia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Moldova, Kyrgyz, Lithuania, and Estonia, there has been a massive increase in the number of academic chairs, centres for Greek studies and private schools where one can learn Greek. Some of these countries have already started to create bilingual Greek dictionaries. Since 1991, the University of Marioupolis has established a chair of Greek philology and another one for Greek language and translation. Konstantin Balabanov sums up the need for these chairs: By creating these two chairs, we aim to teach Greek in order to address the needs of a considerable Greek Diaspora in the Azovian region. It is worth noting however that many students do not belong to the Greek Diaspora per se but have other nationalities. Their main interest in learning Greek is to get acquainted with Ancient Greek civilization. For several years now, the University of Marioupolis has been working in close cooperation with the Ionian University and the University of Ioannina. All these programs, departments and chairs exist along with private schools, founded by Greek businessmen and operating in the Balkan countries, to fulfill the need for learning and disseminating Greek.

In Europe, the presence of the Greek language comes in different shapes and forms. First, there is the impressive phenomenon of several Greek dialects still in use in Southern Italy. In Spain, the Hellenic Academy of the Basque Region has been serving the Spanish community for more than a decade. In France, the educational reform introduced some years ago under the leadership of Jacques Lang, Minister of Education and a well-known Hellenist, increased the presence and practice of Ancient Greek in middle schools and high schools all over the country. Italy has also undertaken similar actions. It is worth mentioning that secondary education curricula in some of the European Union member states allow for more teaching hours per week in Ancient Greek than secondary education in Greece. Sometimes, the discrepancy is twice as big.

Acknowledging the importance of Classical languages is something Europe understands all too well. In a historic joint decision, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union instituted the European Year of Languages 2001. In the preamble of the decision, dated 17 July 2000, it is stated, among other things, that “A command of the respective mother tongue and knowledge of classical languages, in particular Latin and Greek, can make it easier to learn other languages” (Decision No1934/2000/EC, p.1) Several years before this decision, French Academic Jacqueline de Romilly declared that “[…] everyone has to learn Greek, because its is through Greek that one can understand one’s own language”. Viviane Reding, former European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, in a message read during an event hosted by Hellenic Language Heritage at the Old Parliament Building in Athens on 11 June 2002, mentioned that “[…] the study of the Greek language and of the achievements of [our] civilizations remain a fundamental prerequisite for an in-depth research in various fields, namely philosophy, mathematics, history, rhetoric, and literature.”

The European Year for Languages 2001 inspired the Greek Academy to issue a resolution whereby emphasis was placed, among other things, on the unparalleled value of Classical Greek literature and its role as an educational good to be shared by all. Greek Academics also emphasized the need to increase exposure to Classical Greek literature within secondary education. Classical texts and the perfection of the Greek language they reflect were praised by the Romans as a means for promoting humanist education. In addition, the contribution of Classical Greek literature to the revival of Letters and the Arts, from the 14^th century onward, was paramount. In conclusion, a resolution of the Academy of Athens launches a plea to the Greek government and Greek representatives at the European Parliament urging them to “take all necessary action in order to implement and upgrade Ancient Greek texts teaching in the secondary education system of all European Union countries. Greece must encourage all efforts leading the way toward this goal by serving as an example to all European member states.”

Greek is not currently under threat as other language. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Greek is listed as the richest language in the world with a total of more than 5,000,000 words and 105,000,000 lexical items. Additionally, Greek has influenced hundreds of languages, including English, which is currently recognized as the international language par excellence. Aristidis Konstantinidis has worked for over 30 years indexing words of Greek origin found in other languages. The results of his research are impressive: English contains more than 150,000 Greek words, including scientific terminology. According to the Webster dictionary, foreign language borrowings in English are as follows: 57 Turkish words, 34 Slavic words, and an impressive 41,615 Greek words.

A mapping of universities around the world holding chairs of Greek language, departments of Greek studies, philology and literature produces some interesting results. There are more than 270 universities around the world where one can study Greek.

The European Union is currently dealing with the complex issue of balancing 11 national languages, which currently stand on an equal footing. The number of languages within the European Union will increase to 19 or 20 following the latest enlargement. This means an increase in the number of translators working into and from all European languages, which threatens to create serious functional problems within the European Union and will have severe financial consequences. In order to overcome this issue, Europeans are searching for a “European language” (Spanish Members of Parliament have repeatedly suggested Greek). Others are leaning toward a 5- or 6-language solution. Whatever solution is arrived at, Greek must be one of these languages since it is the chain that holds together the European mosaic of languages.

Today’s gathering, ladies and gentlemen, aims to pay homage to all universal values and cultural goods stemming from Greek logos. In our view, there can be no true European integration, no European vision without taking into consideration and utilizing the intellectual “dowry” these values represent. In the midst of an unprecedented, full-fledged international political, economic and social crisis, there is an increasingly pressing need to account for our cultural background. A humanist education becomes a necessary counterbalance to the predominance of a culture based solely on the principles of finances and technology. In order to educate future European generations, we need to return to the basics, that is, the Greek cultural and intellectual past. This is Greece’s legacy and contribution to the European Union and to humanity in general.

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ANTHONY KOYNADIS

Professor – Academician