Fun Facts About the Greek Language That Will Surprise You
The Greek language is one of the world's oldest and most influential languages, with a history of more than 3,400 years. It has influenced modern languages, sciences, and even philosophy. But aside from its rich history, Greek is replete with interesting quirks and fun facts that may amaze you. Here are some of the most fascinating things about the Greek language!
1. The Greek Alphabet Invented the Use of Vowels
Most of the ancient alphabets, like Phoenician or Egyptian hieroglyphs, were consonant-based, where vowels had to be guessed by readers. Greek, though, was the first written language to treat vowels as standalone letters, so reading and pronunciation became much simpler. This influenced the way the Latin alphabet came to be created, which is the alphabet employed in English today.
2. Over 150,000 English Words Have Greek Roots
Greek surrounds English! Whether you talk about philosophy, democracy, physics, history, or even music, you are using Greek words. Words like telephone (τηλέφωνο – "far-off voice") and photography (φωτογραφία – "writing with light") are very clear examples of Greek origin.
3. Greek Has One of the Most Resilient Vocabularies in the World
Greek has more words than just about any other language, an estimated 5 million to 7 million. It's hard to pin the exact figure down because Greek changes constantly and borrowed vocabulary from other civilizations for centuries.
4. The word "Alphabet" Comes from Greek
Its name itself is borrowed from the initial two Greek ones: Alpha (Α, α) and Beta (Β, β). That is to be found in other systems, too (e.g., the NATO alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.).
5. Greek Has Untranslatable Words
Greek also has some words that can't be directly translated into any other language. One of them is "φιλότιμο" (philotimo)—a blend of honor, responsibility, selflessness, and pride in doing what is right. It's ingrained deeply within Greek society and can't be translated with a single word.
6. The Longest Greek Word Contains 171 Letters!
The longest word in Greek appears in the comedy "Assemblywomen" by Aristophanes and contains an astonishing 171 letters:
Λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιοπαραομελιτοκατακεχυμενοκιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστεραλεκτρυονοπτοκεφαλλιοκιγκλοπελειολαγῳοσιραιοβαφητραγανοπτερύγων.
It's the name of an imaginary dish with many ingredients, and even the Greeks struggle to pronounce it!
7. Greek Was the First Language Used in the New Testament
The Christian Bible's New Testament was written originally in Koine Greek, a simplified form of Ancient Greek that was used all over the Mediterranean. Most theological and philosophical arguments still refer to the original Greek texts today.
8. The Greek Question Mark Looks Like a Semicolon
Greek punctuation is a little tricky for non-native speakers! The Greek question mark (;) looks like an English semicolon. So if you see a semicolon at the end of a Greek sentence, it's not a pause—it's a question!
9. Greek Has Three Genders and Four Cases
Unlike English, which possesses only one set of nouns, Greek nouns are masculine, feminine, and neuter. On top of that, they change based on their role in a sentence, using four grammatical cases:
• Nominative (subject)
• Genitive (possession)
• Accusative (object)
• Vocative (direct address)
This is hard to acquire but also incredibly satisfying!
10. Certain Greek Words Have Been Practically the Same for Over 3,000 Years
While languages evolve, some Greek words have remained pretty much the same since the days of the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks during Homer's time employed words like θύρα (thýra - door), κύων (kýon - dog), and φώς (phos - light), and they are still used today in modern Greek!
How Erasmus+ & ESC Participants Can Learn Greek
If you are an Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps (ESC) participant in Greece, learning the language can make your experience so much more worthwhile! Greek courses free of charge or on subsidised rates are usually made available by numerous universities and institutions as part of their cultural integration program. Further, sites like OLS (Online Language Support) provide interactive learning facilities catering to your very own needs. Along with lessons, having Greek culture all around you—speaking to the Greeks, practicing in the markets, or even simply viewing Greek films—can do your learning through osmosis. And learning to speak just a few must-say phrases is far greater in creating solidarity with the population!
Andriani, OLS Community Manager – Greek
The Greek language is one of the world's oldest and most influential languages, with a history of more than 3,400 years. It has influenced modern languages, sciences, and even philosophy. But aside from its rich history, Greek is replete with interesting quirks and fun facts that may amaze you. Here are some of the most fascinating things about the Greek language!
1. The Greek Alphabet Invented the Use of Vowels
Most of the ancient alphabets, like Phoenician or Egyptian hieroglyphs, were consonant-based, where vowels had to be guessed by readers. Greek, though, was the first written language to treat vowels as standalone letters, so reading and pronunciation became much simpler. This influenced the way the Latin alphabet came to be created, which is the alphabet employed in English today.
2. Over 150,000 English Words Have Greek Roots
Greek surrounds English! Whether you talk about philosophy, democracy, physics, history, or even music, you are using Greek words. Words like telephone (τηλέφωνο – "far-off voice") and photography (φωτογραφία – "writing with light") are very clear examples of Greek origin.
3. Greek Has One of the Most Resilient Vocabularies in the World
Greek has more words than just about any other language, an estimated 5 million to 7 million. It's hard to pin the exact figure down because Greek changes constantly and borrowed vocabulary from other civilizations for centuries.
4. The word "Alphabet" Comes from Greek
Its name itself is borrowed from the initial two Greek ones: Alpha (Α, α) and Beta (Β, β). That is to be found in other systems, too (e.g., the NATO alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.).
5. Greek Has Untranslatable Words
Greek also has some words that can't be directly translated into any other language. One of them is "φιλότιμο" (philotimo)—a blend of honor, responsibility, selflessness, and pride in doing what is right. It's ingrained deeply within Greek society and can't be translated with a single word.
6. The Longest Greek Word Contains 171 Letters!
The longest word in Greek appears in the comedy "Assemblywomen" by Aristophanes and contains an astonishing 171 letters:
Λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιοπαραομελιτοκατακεχυμενοκιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστεραλεκτρυονοπτοκεφαλλιοκιγκλοπελειολαγῳοσιραιοβαφητραγανοπτερύγων.
It's the name of an imaginary dish with many ingredients, and even the Greeks struggle to pronounce it!
7. Greek Was the First Language Used in the New Testament
The Christian Bible's New Testament was written originally in Koine Greek, a simplified form of Ancient Greek that was used all over the Mediterranean. Most theological and philosophical arguments still refer to the original Greek texts today.
8. The Greek Question Mark Looks Like a Semicolon
Greek punctuation is a little tricky for non-native speakers! The Greek question mark (;) looks like an English semicolon. So if you see a semicolon at the end of a Greek sentence, it's not a pause—it's a question!
9. Greek Has Three Genders and Four Cases
Unlike English, which possesses only one set of nouns, Greek nouns are masculine, feminine, and neuter. On top of that, they change based on their role in a sentence, using four grammatical cases:
• Nominative (subject)
• Genitive (possession)
• Accusative (object)
• Vocative (direct address)
This is hard to acquire but also incredibly satisfying!
10. Certain Greek Words Have Been Practically the Same for Over 3,000 Years
While languages evolve, some Greek words have remained pretty much the same since the days of the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks during Homer's time employed words like θύρα (thýra - door), κύων (kýon - dog), and φώς (phos - light), and they are still used today in modern Greek!
How Erasmus+ & ESC Participants Can Learn Greek
If you are an Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps (ESC) participant in Greece, learning the language can make your experience so much more worthwhile! Greek courses free of charge or on subsidised rates are usually made available by numerous universities and institutions as part of their cultural integration program. Further, sites like OLS (Online Language Support) provide interactive learning facilities catering to your very own needs. Along with lessons, having Greek culture all around you—speaking to the Greeks, practicing in the markets, or even simply viewing Greek films—can do your learning through osmosis. And learning to speak just a few must-say phrases is far greater in creating solidarity with the population!
Andriani, OLS Community Manager – Greek