In honor of International Greek Language Day on February 9th, we at TranslationsInLondon are excited to share some fascinating facts about the Greek language with our readers and language enthusiasts. From its long history to its unique characteristics, there’s a lot to learn about this ancient language. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the world of Greek!

You may have visited Greece, read about the History and tasted the Greek souvlaki, but did you know that some call Greek to be the mother of western languages? Greek is one of the oldest languages in the world, with a rich history and culture that have shaped our modern world. Therefore, it is essential to understand Greek if we are to fully appreciate its influence on our modern society. This is why we need Greek translation services to help us bridge the gap between English and Greek. Here are few things you might did not know about the Greek language.
Greek is a rich and fascinating language that has left its mark on history and the world of language. Here are some interesting facts about the Greek language:

• Greek was the first language to use vowels

It derived from the Phoenician alphabet, but with some alterations and the additions of vowels.

• It was originally written from right to left

Like modern-day Hebrew and Arabic, ancient Greeks used to write from right to left. They then switched to a method called Boustrophedon, where they wrote both ways, until they eventually settled on writing from left to right as we do today.

• Greek holds the record for the longest word in literature

Greek was used by the philosopher and playwright Aristophanes and in one of his plays, he used the longest word in all of literature. This word, appearing in the last scene of his last play “Ecclesiazusae” or “The Assemblywomen”, was actually a recipe!

The word in Greek: λεπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμμματοσιλφιοτυρομελιτοκατακεχυμενοκιχλεπικοσσυφοφατοπεριστεραλεκτρυνοπτοκεφαλιοκιγκλοπελειολαγῳοσιραιοβαφητραγανοπτερυγών.

• Greek has influenced English language

It is said that around 12% of the English words are derived from Greek. Especially, medical terms, like epidemic, pandemic, symptom, diagnosis, clinical, cardiac, chronical, pneumonia, hypertension and diabetes. Technical translation, in general, and medical translation, particularly, own the majority of their glossaries to Greek.

• It has 13 million native speakers

That’s right, this ancient language is not just historically rich, but also widely spoken and loved by millions. Greek is ranked in the top 100 of the most commonly-spoken languages in the planet. In fact, she was placed at 75. Apart from the Greek native speakers that live in Greece, the language is spoken by the Diaspora (expats Greeks) in many countries around the world, like USA, Cyprus, parts of Albania, Ukraine and Romania.

• Until 1976, it had two official versions

The two official versions were called «Δημοτική» [Demotic], which means Modern Greek – the standard Greek we use today and «Καθαρεύουσα» [Katharevousa], which was a mixture of Ancient Greek and neologisms of the time. Modern Greek was only used in informal, familiar and family settings, as the public services and education used «Καθαρεύουσα» [Katharevousa].

• Greek Translations

The Greek language is known for its expressiveness and rich vocabulary, and this is evident when translating English texts into Greek. It is common for the text to expand by 5-10% due to the longer sentences and use of words with multiple syllables. The expression “Greeks have a word for it” speaks to the language’s ability to capture complex concepts and feelings. For instance the word «φιλοξενία» [filoxenia], which means the cozy and welcoming feeling you get by the Greek host/hostess when invited into a Greek home. (Something like “hygge”, in Scandinavian but not the same). The word «πετριχώρ», which means petrichor, is used to describe the fresh smell of the grass and the Earth after the rain.

Fun fact: Greek language is spoken for 40 centuries without interruption. It uses the same alphabet for 28 centuries and  has the same spelling rules for 24 centuries.

Happy International Greek Language Day!