Author: Nick Nicholas

Website:
http://www.opoudjis.net
About this author:
Data analyst, Greek linguist

What are some common words between Italian and Greek?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-12 | Comments: 1 Comment
Posted in categories: Linguistics, Modern Greek

There’s a substantial number of Italian loanwords in Modern Greek. Many of those loanwords are specifically from Venetian, rather than Tuscan Italian, because a large part of Greece was under Venetian rule for centuries. (And a large number of Greek islands were ruled by other Northern Italian republics.) Italian was also the language through which […]

Is it possible for a dialect to be agglutinative but for the “base” language not to be?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-12 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: General Language, Linguistics

Yes, my fellow respondents have rightly raised the definitional issues that would give one pause about agglutinativity. I’m going to be less scrupulous. The difference between fusional, isolating and agglutinative languages is a significant typological difference—although of course, as with anything typological, there are shades of grey that it ignores, and square pegs that it […]

How are Rumi’s poems in Greek?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-12 | Comments: 2 Comments
Posted in categories: Literature, Mediaeval Greek

http://www.opoudjis.net/Play/rumiwalad.html I swear, folks, I am not bribing Khateeb to ask me these questions! So yes. Both Rumi, and his son Sultan Walad, wrote some verses in Greek and in Turkish. That he wrote in Greek is no surprise, given that Rumi means “of Rum = The (former) Roman Empire”, where Rumi settled (Konya). I […]

Would modern Greek speakers understand Longus, Daphnis, and Chloe in original Greek?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-10 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Linguistics

I’ve written a couple of answers where I’ve translated Classical Greek using only my knowledge of Modern Greek—although I was being overly permissive about understanding Classical grammar. So. Daphnis & Chloe, 2.5. https://msu.edu/~tyrrell/daphchl… Thereupon, he burst into loud laughter with a voice unlike that of a swallow or nightingale or swan. At the same time, […]

Why is it that the Oedipus myth resonates so much with a Westerner (Generic collective)?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-10 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Culture

Thank you for your A2A, Daniel. Jessica Lee has given an excellent answer; Vote #1 Jessica Lee’s answer to Why is it that the Oedipus myth resonates so much with a Westerner (Generic collective)? I’m answering more because Daniel isn’t convinced: As for the myth, it appears that the Westerner is afraid of being caught […]

What is your favourite Zeibekiko song and why?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-10 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Modern Greek, Music

My fellow Greeks have made excellent choices. So I have to choose another one. My choice fails Achilleas Vortselas’ criteria. They are the right criteria, they are what makes a zeibekiko such a joy to dance to. But I’m choosing a zeibekiko which isn’t as danceable, isn’t as heavy, isn’t as underworld, but is just […]

Is a rotational presidency a good idea for a future re-united Cyprus?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-10 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Culture, Modern Greek

Hm. I get the symbolism, and the symbolism is important. It would demonstrate that, whatever the demographics and the history, both communities are equal in the State. It would work brilliantly if the presidency in Cyprus were a ceremonial head of state position, a symbolic Father/Mother of the Nation gig. The problem is that the […]

Is there such a thing as Cypriotism?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-09 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Culture, Modern Greek

It’s a very little used word, but yes: Cypriot nationalism – Wikipedia Cypriot nationalism, also known as Cypriotism, refers to one of the nationalisms of Cyprus, a shared identity of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots highlighting shared economic, political and social rights. Cypriot nationalism supports the reunification of Cyprus under a federation and the end […]

Which languages helped you more in learning Modern Greek?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-07 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Linguistics, Modern Greek

I’m a native speaker, but I’ll venture this. Joachim Pense correctly said Classical Greek—and he also said that if you don’t already know Classical Greek, it is something of a detour. Knowing any language which has taken a lot of vocabulary from Classical Greek—meaning all Western European languages other than Icelandic—will help the vocabulary—but less […]

When did words begin to have double (or even triple) meanings?

By: | Post date: 2017-01-07 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: General Language, Linguistics

I’m not quite the right person to ask about this; serious interest in the origins of language resumed after I studied linguistics. But think about it. Why do words have multiple meanings? We differentiate polysemy and homophony: multiple related meanings, and multiple unrelated meanings. Why is there polysemy? Because words get applied to different contexts, […]

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