Learn the difference between modern Greek and biblical Greek
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Intro |
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| Michael: Is modern Greek very different from biblical Greek? |
| Chrissi: And what are the differences? |
| Michael: At GreekPod101.com, we hear these questions often. The following situation is typical. Sasha Lee, a high school student, is trying to read a quote in one of her textbooks but finds a word written in a way she has never seen before. She turns to her friend and asks, |
| "Is this in Greek?" |
| Σάσα Λι: Αυτό είναι στα ελληνικά; (Aftó íne sta eliniká?) |
| Dialogue |
| Σάσα Λι: Αυτό είναι στα ελληνικά; (Aftó íne sta eliniká?) |
| Φρόσω Γιαννιτσάνου: Ναι, αλλά είναι ελληνιστική κοινή. (Ne, alá íne elinistikí kiní.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Σάσα Λι: Αυτό είναι στα ελληνικά; (Aftó íne sta eliniká?) |
| Michael: "Is this in Greek?" |
| Φρόσω Γιαννιτσάνου: Ναι, αλλά είναι ελληνιστική κοινή. (Ne, alá íne elinistikí kiní.) |
| Michael: "Yes, but it's in Biblical Greek (Koine Greek)." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: There are a few languages in the world with a very rich history, and Greek, or |
| Chrissi: ελληνικά (eliniká) |
| Michael: is one of them. The language is so rich that it has once been ranked by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s richest language! Modern Greek is the successor to Koine Greek, or |
| Chrissi: Ελληνιστική Κοινή (Elinistikí Kiní) |
| Michael: which literally means “Common Hellenistic.” Koine Greek developed and spread following the campaigns of Alexander the Great in 331 to 323 BC. Eventually, it became the “lingua franca” or |
| Chrissi: κοινή γλώσσα (kiní glósa) |
| Michael: of much of the Middle East and the entire Mediterranean during Biblical times. You can think of it as the English language of those days. Most Greeks today understand Koine Greek when they encounter it through text, but they may have difficulty when it comes to speaking and writing in Koine. This is especially true among younger Greeks. It’s also important to note that, while Modern Greek inherited most of its vocabulary from Ancient Greek, it also includes many foreign loan words, or |
| Chrissi: Λέξεις δάνεια (Léxis dánia) |
| Michael: Many of the words included in today’s version of Greek didn’t exist in Koine Greek. For instance, you will never find the common word |
| Chrissi: κέφι (kéfi) |
| Michael: meaning “fun,” in any literature written in Koine, or the word, |
| Chrissi: πάρκινγκ (párking) |
| Michael: or “parking.” Both of these words are loan words. Another word that you will only encounter in Modern Greek is the word |
| Chrissi: υπολογιστής (ipoloyistís) |
| Michael: or “computer,” despite the fact that this modern compound word consists of Greek words that have existed since antiquity. |
| Greek today is quite similar to what it was during ancient times, especially when it comes to vocabulary, although that depends on the era and dialect of ancient Greek. There are some differences in grammar rules, though, such as the simplification of the declension system, or |
| Chrissi: κλιτικό σύστημα (klitikó sístima) |
| Michael: where the dative case was absorbed into the genitive in standard Greek, and into the accusative in dialects spoken in Thrace and Macedonia. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Koine Greek and Modern Greek may have some differences, but it’s interesting to note that Koine is the immediate predecessor of the Greek language as we know it today. Koine Greek is considered the language of the Bible, or |
| Chrissi: Βίβλος (Vívlos) |
| Michael: particularly, the New Testament. Since Koine was the universal language during the time that Christianity was born, it was the language used by New Testament writers, such as the Apostle Paul, or |
| Chrissi: Απόστολος Παύλος (Apóstolos Pávlos) |
| Michael: to spread the message of the Christian faith. One can say that the period of Koine Greek was a period of transition, or |
| Chrissi: μετάβαση (metávasi) |
| Michael: from Classical Greek, or |
| Chrissi: κλασική ελληνική (klasikí elinikí) |
| Michael: to Modern Greek, |
| Chrissi: νέα ελληνικά (néa eliniká) |
| Michael: Another thing that’s unique with the Greek language is that it stands on its own, which means, unlike other Indo-European languages, it did not develop into other languages over time and, despite the period of Ottoman rule that lasted four centuries after the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 AD, the Greek language was preserved thanks to the Orthodox Church that defied the threat of the Ottoman rule that could have erased Hellenism and the Greek culture. It was during this period that Greek gradually evolved into Modern Greek. When the Ottoman Era, or |
| Chrissi: Οθωμανική περίοδος (Othomanikí Períodos) |
| Michael: ended in 1830, the Greeks started to establish a standard Greek dialect. It’s the Greek spoken in Athens and the Peloponnese that gave birth to the standardized language spoken in all of Greece today. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Chrissi: Γεια χαρά! (Ya hará!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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