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Whether you know it or not, the Greek language is a major part of your life as an English speaker.
Despite the fact that Greek is part of an idiom that expresses a lack of understanding — That’s Greek to me! — Greek is actually a fundamental part of the world of modern language. Here are the seven most interesting facts about this fascinating, transformational language.
Over 12 million people across the Globe speak fluent Greek. They live mostly in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey, and the United States, but other countries have fluent speakers as well. This is due in no small part to the fact that Greek is an academic language, with many an important ancient text written in Greek. The original translations of these ancient Greek texts into Latin helped initiate the Renaissance.
Greek is the foundation of many words in the English language. In fact, the world “alphabet” comes from the Greek letters “alpha” and “beta”. Other words that come from Greek include “academy,” “apology,” “marathon,” “siren,” and “typhoon,” as well as almost all of our words that begin with “ph” (philosophy, physics, phrenology, etc.). The fact that so many English words are rooted in Greek can assist in translation between the languages. However, some similar sounding words can have completely different definitions. Therefore, it is imperative that you enlist a professional translator when looking to have a document translated between Greek and English.
Another notable word that comes from Greek is the word ‘barbarian,” which, when it was invented, meant literally someone who could not speak Greek and sounded like they were saying “bar-bar-bar-bar.”
The expression “taking the bull by its horns” — meaning to take initiative to get things done— comes from the Greek myth of Hercules saving Crete from a raging bull by gripping it by the horns and wrestling it under control. While many idioms can cause confusion when being translated, this idiom is understood across many cultures.
Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest known languages in the world. One of the oldest translations ever recorded is the Septuagint, which was the translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek.
Greece is considered to be the birthplace of many things, not the least of which is the theatre. Greek plays have been performed for centuries and are still performed today. In this way, ancient Greece still has a heavy impact on the world of modern storytelling. The philosopher Aristotle systemized narrative structure in his Poetics, and that structure of storytelling is still alive in our books, movies, and television series today.
The word “tragedy” is Greek, and it literally means “goat-song.” This is because early Greek tragedies were performed in honor of the god Dionysus, and the players wore costumes made of goatskins. Tragedies were noble stories of gods, kings, and heroes. Comedy or “revel,” on the other hand, was about lower-class characters and their antics.
While Greek is written in a completely different alphabet than English, it is a language with a storied history and a rich past. It is the language of poets and philosophers, scientists and dramatists, and it will undoubtedly continue to thrive in our modern world.
