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Archive:
Month: January 2017
What do contemporary Greeks think of Lord Byron?
To add to the others (which is why you must upvote the others): Greeks revere Byron (to the point of Βύρων[ας] Viron(as) being a name they give their kids), because he was a prominent foreign supporter of the Greek War of Independence. What contemporary Greeks do NOT know is that Byron was a Romantic poet, […]
Is Albanian a creole language?
*tosses head back chuckling* Ah, I know where this question comes from. I did a drive-by shooting in a comment thread, saying “no, Albanian is not a creole”. Fair enough that I should be asked why. A creole in linguistics is not just a language that you think sounds mixed. It has a specific meaning. […]
Do Australians cringe when non-native English speakers attempt to learn the Australian accent?
What Christine Leigh Langtree said: Vote #1 Christine Leigh Langtree’s answer to Do Australians cringe when non-native English speakers attempt to learn the Australian accent? I’ll add that most dialect speakers dislike their accent being mimicked, not just Australians; I know I resented the hell out of 1960s Greek comedies’ bad imitation of Cretan. If […]
Are Greeks truly “western”? How can they be western if they are orthodox? In that case, why aren’t the other orthodox countries considered western?
Originally Answered: How western is the republic of Greece and its locals? Vote #1 Goru Yamato: Goru Yamato’s answer to Are Greeks truly “western”? How can they be western if they are orthodox? In that case, why aren’t the other orthodox countries considered western? Μπράβο σας, Γιαμάτο-σάμα! I’ll just add that the struggle between the […]
What is the timeline of the Greek breathings?
I’ve written a fair bit up about this at http://www.opoudjis.net/unicode/… . All secondary research, but it’s secondary research that seems to have been cited at Wikipedia. Your timeline is right: There was a distinct heta letter for /h/, which looked like H, but it was not used in all locations. There was an innovation in […]
What are some common and popular Greek beverages?
Coffee: Turkish coffee (renamed Greek coffee) for the older generation Frappé coffee for the younger generation Instant coffee (“Nes”) as a lighter, more western option Variants such as Vienna Coffee for a night out Nursed for hours at a café First beverage at home in the morning Herbal teas Sage, Camomile, Nettle Drunk when you’re […]
How is the enmity between Greece and Albania different to that between Greece and Turkey?
I’m going to speak from a Greek perspective, and I hope that Turks and Albanians will weigh in. The hostility between Greece and Turkey is very old, and definitional to their identity. They came to regard each other as the Primordial Enemy. (Hence the immortal line on Ekşi Sözlük: “The good old days, when Greece […]