What other languages influenced Greek?

By: | Post date: 2015-09-26 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Linguistics, Mediaeval Greek, Modern Greek

In terms of the usual interpretation of the question (what languages did Greek borrow words from), at different times Greek has borrowed words from:

  • Persian (a small number)
  • Latin (a fair few)
  • Slavonic (surprisingly few)
  • Albanian (surprisingly fewer)
  • Aromanian (ditto)
  • Catalan (one word, παρέα < pare(j)a)
  • Romany (very few, although it is the go-to source for cants (secrecy languages), including Kaliarda, the gay cant: Roz Mov – Kaliarda
  • Old French (Cypriot)
  • Italian and Venetian (lots, though they have been purged)
  • (Ottoman) Turkish (lots, though they have been substantially purged)
  • French (before World War II)
  • English (after World War II)
  • … oh, and Ancient Greek
  • Can’t think of any words from Aromanian, but there should be a couple

Dialects outside of Greece have borrowed from the majority languages: Calabrian and Salentino in Southern Italy, French in Corsica, Russian and Tatar in Eastern Ukraine (formerly Crimea). And of course languages in the diaspora do the same.

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