by Nikolaos Adamou » March 2nd, 2012, 10:59 pm
There is a unique continuity and unity in the Greek language, where most of the change happens between Homeric and Classical, but from that period, to the Hellenistic, Eastern Roman Empire, Under Ottoman Occupation and Modern times, all the way up to the linguistic reform in early 80’s, the language shows stability and continuity. Particular and significant role in this continuity and stability play the usage of Biblical Greek in the liturgical life of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Italian is another language different that Latin, λατινογενῆς, Modern Greek is NOT another ἑλληνογενῆς language, substantially different from the New and Old Testament Greek or classical. The difference between Modern Greek and Hellenistic Greek is much smaller than the Shakespearian and modern English.
All those of us who were educated before the 80’s are very comfortable with datives and all other forms of classical Greek that exist also in the so called katharevousa form of the Modern Greek. The official ecclesiastical communication of the Orthodox Church practiced today in Jerusalem, Alexandria Egypt, and Constantinople, and Mount Sinai Egypt is much closer to the official attic form used at the period of the Eastern Roman Empire than todays barbaric modern Greek. It is not correct the statement “Modern Greek speakers have to learn ancient Greek as a different language”, I learn ancient Greek as my language. Biblical Greek is still a living language used uninterrupted in the Orthodox Church from the first century up to now. The hymnology used is the same composed from the third century up to today.
For more essential discussion, I one may look at the following:
1. Grammatica Graeca 1712, by Alexander Helladius (Google Books)
2. On the rhythmical declamation of the ancients, by Prof. John Stuart Blakie 1843, Google Books
3. The Modern Greek language in its relation to the Ancient Greek Prof Edmund Martin Geldar, 1870, Google Books
4. The Modern Greek its pronunciation and relations to ancient Greek, by Prof. Telemachus Thomas Timayenis 1877, Google Books
5. An historical Greek grammar: chiefly of the Attic dialect as written and spoken from classical antiquity down to the present time, founded upon the ancient texts, inscriptions, papyri and present popular Greek, 1897, by Antonius Nicholas Jannaris (Google Books)
6. The Development of Greek and the New Testament: Morphology, Syntax, Phonology, and Textual Transmission, 2004, by Chrys C. Caragounis
There is plenty of similar literature from the 15 and 16 centuries as well, that Google made it available to all today. Most of this literatiure, like the work by Helladius is also bilingual, in Greek and Latin, that does not allow any misunderstanding of the text.
Knowledge of Modern Greek for example does not allow one to confuse the γινώσκω from ἀναγινώσκω, as almost all textbooks entitled «reading greek» focus on the γινώσκω but not ἀναγινώσκω, while all the grammarians from the 2nd BC to the 14AD centuries written by Greeks provide a balance and interrelated presentation of both.
A great advantance of approaching Hellenistic and Classical Greek from a Modern Greek language point of view, is the option to communicate with Greeks themselves.
The main question I have is what are the advantages of interrupting articicially the unity and continuation of my language besides to have a discussion about my language not in Greek and without the Greeks.