The Greek language is over 3,500 years old, though it has evolved through the years. Over 15 million people worldwide speak Greek. It is the official language of Greece and Cyprus, and is spoken natively by immigrants living in many countries around the world. The Greek alphabet is considered the first real alphabet, and was a predecessor of the Latin alphabet, and eventually our own alphabet. The Greek language is one of history and passion, and is an ideal representative of the people who speak is fluently. If you are interested in learning a second language, consider Greek.
Learning the Greek language might seem intimidating. The alphabet doesn't look exactly like the English alphabet. The word pronunciation sounds totally different as well. But there are several ways you can go about learning it, and several benefits to doing so. One option is to attend college, and study the language extensively. You have the choice of studying the Ancient form of Greek, or the Modern language. Learning Ancient Greek is useful if you plan to study Ancient Greek art, archaeology, literature, or history, and you intend to pursue this scholarly field. Earning a college degree in Modern Greek will provide you with a thorough written and conversational knowledge of the language that is spoken today, and gives you career options down the road. Having the ability to speak more than one language can have many advantages for you professionally. If you are fluent in the Greek language, and have some expertise in another field such as law, medicine, or business, you can be certified as a foreign language translator. This stimulating career prospect is one that offers you several options. As a certified translator, you can work full-time for a foreign language translation firm, translating business documents, web pages, and other types of communication for global corporations or for small firms looking branch out. You can also do freelance translation work, where you have the ability to be your own boss, and make your own schedule and set you own workload. Yet another career opportunity open to you as a bilingual professional is to teach English as a second language to Greek students in Greece. By knowing English and Greece, you will be able to live and work in Greece, and have no problems communicating there.
Another means by which you can learn the Greek language is by enrolling in an accelerated course that is available online. By learning Greek in this way, you will gain knowledge of a very basic foundation of the language. Learning Greek through an accelerated online course is a rather quick and convenient way to learn a second language. It is ideal for you if you are interested in traveling to Greece, and you want to be able to communicate in a basic way with the residents there. You will find that you will enjoy your travels much more if the stress of a communication barrier is not there.
An ideal option for learning the Greek language is through an immersion program. This is a perfect option for students who are looking to study abroad for a semester, or for bold travelers looking to experience Greek culture in a new and exciting way. You will not only learn the Modern Greek language, but you experience the vibrant and historic Greek culture. Learning Greek in Greece, where our own language and history has its origins, you will learn the language quickly and easily. You will learn the conversational and informal styles of the language by interacting everyday during your adventure with people who are native Greeks, who probably won't be willing or able to communicate in English. You will be absorbed into the dazzling everyday life of the Greek people, its sights, sounds, and smells. You will gain knowledge and appreciate the storied Greek culture: the history, the art, the architecture, the food, and the people. As a part of the immersion program, you will attend courses in which you will learn the Greek alphabet, how to read, and how to write in Greek as well. Learning the Greek language as part of an immersion is a superb way to experience a new culture.
Learning the Greek language, though seemingly intimidating, can have many benefits for you. Knowing a second language gives you the potential to further develop you career by working abroad, or as a translator. Learning the Greek language will make you a better traveler as well. You will be able to communicate with the Greek people, and you will enjoy your adventures in Greece so much more. Learning Greek is a great way to open your eyes to a new (and ancient) culture.
Greek Language And Culture
Koine Greek is part of the legacy left by Alexander the Great's imperial conquests which united Asia Minor, the north of África, and the vast territories of the Persian empire. Though his death saw the end of the empire he had forged, there remained a common Greek language, Koine, that continued to be spoken in the lands he conquered. This became the common language of the Mediterranean basin and the ancestor of Modern Greek.
The Greek language, as we know it today, had its origin during the classical era, though it has undergone a considerable number of changes. In our day, in its modern form, demotikí or 'popular' Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus. It is also a recognized minority language in Italy, Turkey, and Albania.
Greek is part of the Indo-European family of languages. The earliest form of Greek is thought to have originated in the 14th century BCE in Cretan inscriptions. Mycenaean Greek is distinguished from later Classical or Greek of the 8th century BCE and after, when texts came to be written in the Greek alphabet.
Various theories about the origins of the Greek language exist. One suggests that it originated with a migration of proto-Greek speakers into Greece, which is dated to any period between 3200 BC to 1900 BC. Another theory holds that Greek evolved in Greece itself out of an early language of Indo-European origin.
The Greek language including Attic and Modern Greek, is written in a non-Latin script. Greek is one of the richest surviving languages in the world today, with a vocabulary more than 600,000 words. Some scholars have stressed the similarity of Modern Greek to millennia old Greek languages. The extent of Modern Greek's commonality with ancient Greek has been extensively reviewed and debated. It is claimed that a "reasonably well educated" speaker of the modern tongue can read the ancient dialects, but it is not made very clear how much of that education consists of exposure to vocabulary and grammar obsolete in normal communication.
The Greek language spoken in both in the Hellenistic and Byzantine eras is nearer to Modern Greek. From 1934 to 1976 there was an attempt to impose a purified language, an attempt to correct centuries of natural linguistic changes) as the only acceptable form of Greek in Greece.
After 1976, Dimoti'ci, "speech of the people" was finally accepted by the Greek government as both the de facto and de jure forms of the language. A large number of words and expressions have remained unchanged down through the centuries, and have made their way into a number of other languages, including Latin, Italian, German, French and English. Some examples of these include mostly terminology names, such as astronomy, philosophy, democracy and anthropology.
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