Greek Language.pdf

GREEK

LANGUAGE

By A. G. KRASSANAKIS

Translation in English

by AR T PERDIKI S

_Mechanisms, rules, parts of

speech, history etc of

Greek Language

_Greek language is the most

easiest and perfect in the

world

_Greek language and Greek

script (writing, grammars)

is base of all European

(English, German etc) lan-

guages and scripts (writ-

ings)

SBN 96 0 – 85 08 9 – 2 - 5

Greek Language, by Adam Krassanakis

CHA PTER 1 st

THE ELEME NTS OF WORDS

1. The language and the words

Language is said (called) the total of words that with concrete rules of

changes and combinations between them (with concrete syntax rules and inclina-

tion rules) a population is using in order to understand or to express. It is the tool

of expression or the way with which the persons understand between them (each

other) and reveal the feelings and the thought them.

Word is said (called) the smallest intellectual piece that is a sentence ele-

ment hence an element of speech. It is an organized sounding mark (sign) which

express a certain meaning of a sentence, according to its certain elements (root,

subject, ending etc) or a part of speech (noun, adjective, pronoun etc. I.e.

Proposition (sentence): I am tailor = Εγώ είμαι ράπτης (Greek)

Words: I (= pronoun), am (verb), tailor (noun),

Εγώ (= noun), είμαι (= verb), ράπτης (= noun).

The meaning of words depends on their part of speech and their type

(gender, number, case or person) as well as on their kind of simple derivation or

composition. Their meaning, therefore, is regulated by the relationship of their

components (prefix, root or them, ending or accent in case of simple word and a’

+ b’ components in the case of compound (composite) words. I.e.:

Greek : γράφ-ω, γραφ-ή, συν-γραφ-έας, καλ-ός,ή,οί..

English: write, writ-ing, writ-er, good, good-s..

(Greek alphabet and his pronouncing

see in end of this book.)

Note:

1) The meaning of a monosyllabic word or a words without constituent ele-

ments concern on what position (place) they are put in a sentence or on witch

word is before them; namely if they are used as conjunctions or as proverbs i.e.:

English: The love, of love & I love, you love, he love..

Greek: Η μάνα μου μου είπε. Πως θα πας & Είπε πως θα πάμε.

Some times the meaning of a word it depends on his tone (which syllable is

toned or if it is with strong or soft tone), see in Greek: πότε & ποτέ, η & ή, ε & έ…

2) In the syntax of speech the nouns’ meaning becomes also more special-

ized by articles, adjectives and participles. i.e.:

Greek: Πήρα γράμμα & Πήρα το γράμμα. Μικρό γράμμα & μεγάλο γράμμα.

English: I took letter & I took the letter. Small letter & large letter

2. The generation of Greek words

The Greek words are formed (borne) by the Greeks, time to time, through:

a) Sound making

Sound made words are those made by the imitation of sounds in the envir-

onment i.e.: β... > βοώ, βόμβος, βόμβα... μπαμ – μπουμ > μπαλωθιά, μπαρούτι,

μπουμπουνητό, μπόμπα... τρ... > τρίβω, τρίζω, τρυπάνι... γαβ – γαβ > γαβγί-

ζω.... (See in English: bomb, cry, …)

Greek Language, by Adam Krassanakis

b) Derivation:

Derived wards are those who born from another, i.e.: κράτος > κρατικός,

(See in English: govern > government, love > lovely…)

c) Composition (synthesis):

Compounded words are those who born from two or more others: δια +

κράτος > δια- κρατικός, αστυ-φύλακας…

(See in English: police-man, land-lord, Englishman….)

d) Falsification

Falsified words are those who born from other with phthongic alteration

(which means addition, abstraction, transposition-removal or alternation) of a

sounding in an ancient word i.e.: χώρα (τόπου) & (χ)ώρα > ώρα (χρόνου), κόνις

>(σ)κόνη, πυρία > (σ)πύρ(τ)α, σπόγγος > σφουγγάρι...

(See in English: live (pronunciation “laiv”)> living (pronunciation “livink”),

athlete > athleticism…)

e) Abusive derivation which means changing the:

a. Type (= the gender, the case and the number) of an ancient word, i.e.: αι

Αθήναι>η Αθήνα, αι Θήβαι > η θήβα, ο έμπορος, > η έμπορος, ο σύζυγος > η σύ-

ζυγος.

b. The part of speech (an adjective turned into a noun, for instance) of an

ancient word, i.e.: κεραμική, μηχανική (Here the words are adjectives) ... τέχνη

> η κεραμική, η μηχανική (Here the words are nouns), Same: παράγωγος > ο πα-

ραγωγός, παράγωγη > η παραγωγή, ζεστή > η ζέστη,

c. The typological ending (form) of an ancient word (let’s refer, for instance,

the abolition of the third kind of ancient accidence – conjugation): λύσ-ις > λύσ-

η, οντότ-ης > οντότ-ητα, Ελλά-ς > Ελλ-άδα, ρήτ-ωρ > ρήτ-ορας, κλητ-ήρ > κλη-

τήρας….

3. The elements of words

Compound words are constituted (formed) by the first (a’) and the second

(b’) component, namely by their relative simple words. i.e.: συν-γράφω, παρ-ερ-

μηνεύω, εξ-υπ-ακούγεται.. (As in English: under-standing,..)

Simple words are constituted by the following elements: ending (derivative

and formative), subject (thema), root, epithema, prefix and accent.

1. Ending

Ending is called the changeable final part of an inclinable word. The linguistic

element of the inclinable word stating what part of speech (noun, adjective,

verb…) and what type (gender, number, case or person) is the significant part of

the word. I.e. καλ-ός, καλ-οί, καλ-ή, καλ-ό, τέλ-ος, τελεί-α… (As in English: good

& good-s, end > end-ing, end-ed…).

Derivative endings are those by which we create words from other words

(from subjects of other words). For instance, the following endings:

-ινός: χθες > χθεσ-ινός,ή,ό, κοντά > κοντινός, μακρά > μακρινός, τώρα >

τωρινός..

-(ά)ζω: σχόλια > σχολιάζω, αγκαλιά > αγκαλιάζω,..

,……………………………

Formative or declination endings are those by which we create words from

roots or alternate at end of an inclinable word in order to achieve its formations

(gender and case in nouns and adjectives, tenses and persons in verbs). I.e.:

Case ending (in masculine nouns and adjectives):

φόρ-ος, ου,ο,ε γραφ-ικ-ός,ου,ο,ε, Κώστ-ας,α,α,α, Μανώλ-ης,η,η,η…

φόροι,ων,ους,οι γραφ-ικ-οί,ών,ούς,οί, Κωστ-ήδες,ων,ες,ες...

Person endings (in present tense of verbs):

λύν-ω,εις,ει,ουμε,ετε,ουν

Greek Language, by Adam Krassanakis

λύν-ομαι,εσαι,εται,ομαστε,εστε,ονται = passive voice

2. Subject (“thema”) and root

Subject is called the starting and immutable (unchanged) part of an inclin-

able word that states the main meaning. The initial phthongs (= sounds of words)

of the word that remain unchanged in inclination (case subject). I.e.: τακτ-ός,

τακτ-ού, τακ-τοί,… or are taken from the word to create another word (derivative

subject): τακτ-ικός, τακτ-οποιώ…

Double subjective are called those words which are presented having two

subjects in composition (synthesis) and derivation (production). I.e.:

γη > γήπεδο, μεσό-γειος, γε-ωργία

καλ-ός,ή,ό > καλό-παιδο, καλλι-γραφία (καλή γραφή)

Nominative: πόλ-η, πολ-ίτης, γάλα > γαλουχώ

Genitive: πόλεως, πολεοδομία, γάλατος, γαλατάς

Root is called the initial subject by whom a series of words or subjects are

created (made). I.e.: πόλις or πόλ-η (root and initial subject πολ-) > πολ-ίτ-ης

(the subject now is πολιτ-) > πολ-ιτικ-ός (the subject now is πολιτικ-) and πολι-

τικάντ-ης, πολιτεύομαι > πολιτευτ-ής…

Character is called the final phthong (sound of words) of the subject or of

the root: γραφ-ή (Character is φ), γραφικ-ός (Character is κ)…

Epithema is the part of an ending that is put in an ending for certain mean-

ing. I.e.: τακτ-ός > τακτ-(ικ)-ός

3. Prefix

Prefix is called the total group of phthongs (sounds of words) which is put

before a subject in inclination, like the syllabic augment “e-“ in verbs. For ex-

ample: λύνω > έ-λυνα, έ-λυσα, φέρνω > έ-φερα..

4. Accent

Accent is called a louder pronunciation of a syllable in a word (the accentu-

ation of the voice in a syllable of a word). The accent is for the expansion of the

pronunciation (it is difficult to pronounce the same all the syllable of a word) and

in Greek language has notional importance. Accent combined with endings (Only

in Greek) state what part of speech and sometimes what type is a word. I.e.:

εξοχ-ή, μετοχ-ή, Ξάνθ-η… (= noun)

έξοχ-η, μέτοχ-η, ξανθ-ή.. (= adjectives)

άδικ-ο, άπορ-ο, άτυχ-ο, .. (= adjective)

& αδικ-ώ, απορ-ώ, ατυχ-ώ.... (= verb),

έξοχ-ος, κάθετ-ος, υπόγει-ος,.... (= adjective)

& εξόχ-ως, καθέτ-ως, υπογεί-ως... (= adverb),...

ξεκίνα, περπάτα, αγάπα… (= imperative)

ξeκινά, περπατά, αγαπά… (= indicative)

Accent mark is called the marc (/) by which we indicate the accent syllable

(the name given the sign in written speech above the vowel of the stressed ac-

centuated syllable), e.g.: κα-λός, κά-λος,, ά-δικος...

In oral speech (in all languages) one syllable of each word is accented, ex-

cept in words of one syllable, see in:

English: morning, pronounce “ mόrnιnk”,

In Greek: καλη-με-ρα, κα-κός, ά-τυ-χος....

In the Greek writing system we always put the accent mark on the stressed

vowel letter: κα-λός, νέ-ος..

Something that does not occur in writing with Latin characters, see in Eng-

lish: morning (“ μόρνινκ”), America (“Αμέρικα”)...

Greek Language, by Adam Krassanakis

4. Phthongs (= the sounds of words) & syllables

Syllable is called the smallest (least) piece in which a word can be cut and

pronounced in achieving a comfortable acoustic apprehension. I.e: α-έ-ρας, καλ-

ός … (In English: mo-ther, En-glish…)

Phthong (Greek φθόγγος, pronunciation <<fthόnkοs>>) in the Greek writ-

ing system is called one of the individual sounds (voices) of the word syllables.

Phthongs are called the vowels and consonants, the individual sounds of the syl-

lable in the words, as for example the phtongs of the words:

Greek words: γρά-φω, Ι-τα-λί-α = γ/ρ/ά/φ/ω, Ι/τ/α/λ/ί/α..

Latin words: I-ta-li-a, La-ti-um = I-t/a/l/y, L/at/i/u/m...

The total of different phthongs of all languages, ancient or modern, is just

twenty (20), the following:

Greek writing: α, ε, ο, ου, ι, μ, ν, λ, ρ, σ, ζ, τ, δ, θ, π, β, φ, κ, γ, χ

Latin writing: a, e, o, u, i, m, n, l, r, s, z, t, th, dh, p, v, f, c, gh, h

Important note:

1) Every vowel in a word, alone or combined with a consonant before or al-

ter it makes a syllable, i.e.: ο α-ε-τος, εν, εκ, κε-νός… because the consonants

are not possible to be pronounced by themselves (separately); they are always

accompanied by a vowel. That is why, in Greek, consonants are called «σύμφωνα

= συν-φωνή» > Latin “con-sonors” > English “consonants” (agreeing, harmon-

ized, according) or (along with the sound). I.e.: εν, νέ-ος, τον, ε-γέ-λα-σε..

Consonant syllable is called the syllable in which there is one or more con-

sonant (a syllable containing vowel + consonant or consonants), e.g.: εκ, εν,την,

βους, κε-νός..

Vowel syllable is called the syllable in which there is not consonant (a syl-

lable containing a vowel only), e.g.: o α-έ-(ρας), η ω-(ραί)-α..

2) The Greek word <<Συλλαβή>> = syllable (in English) is constituted

(formed) from the simple words συν-λαβή, from συν-λαμβάνω > συλλαβή = ar-

rest, apprehension.

3) The phthongs, the vowels and consonants, are a conventional distinction,

since the smaller part of a word is the syllable and the consonants are always

pronounced with a vowel (that is where the words “φωνήεντα = vowels” and

“σύμφωνα = consonants” come from).

4) It was the Greeks who first made the distinction between the phthongs,

the consonants and the vowels, in a conventional way, because they realized by

going so:

a) Fewer symbols of writing are required since the different kinds of

phthongs are fewer (20 in number) than the different kinds of syllables (over

600, depending on the language),

b) Writing becomes more simplified (easier) and etymological, i.e. that we

write what we say phonetically and the same time what we mean as a part of the

speech and at the form of the word (type: gender, number, case, person..) by us-

ing the homophone letters.

5) Phthongs and syllables are not constituent (intellectual, etymogical) ele-

ments of words. Those that realize the linguistic expression are the ending, sub-

ject, root, prefix, accent in case of simple inclinable words and first and second

components in case of a compound word, i.e.: γράφ-ω, συν-γράφ-ω, δια-γραφ-

ή... Simply, in many words, certain linguistic elements may be a mere phthong or

just one syllable. I.e.: το έν-α, η καλ-ή…In words without constituent elements or

declension (inclination) or their total group of phthongs (sounds of words) is also

their expressive element: δέκα, άλφα, απέναντι..

(For more see the book “The Greek writing system”, A. Krassanakis)

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