Demotic Greek Language
Demotic Greek is a modern form of the Greek language and serves as the official language in Greece and Cyprus, spoken by approximately thirteen million people globally. Evolving in the early nineteenth century, it emerged as a response to the need for a common language among Greeks following independence from Ottoman rule. It is derived from Ancient Greek, with significant influences from languages spoken during the Roman and Byzantine periods, and is characterized by changes in pronunciation and grammar from its ancient predecessor.
The Greek alphabet, utilized in both Ancient and Demotic Greek, has a rich history dating back to around 750 BCE and is notable for being the first writing system to include vowels. Demotic Greek incorporates elements from various languages, reflecting the historical interactions of the Greek people. Despite competing with Katharevousa, a form of Greek that sought to purify the language of foreign influences, Demotic was eventually recognized as the official standard in 1976 after a prolonged societal debate. Today, Demotic Greek is not only the primary language in Greece but is also acknowledged in several countries with Greek communities.
Demotic Greek Language
The Demotic Greek language is a modern form of Greek and the official language of the nation of Greece and Cyprus. Descended from the Indo-European family of languages, Demotic Greek traces a direct linage from Ancient Greek through other forms of the language spoken in the Roman and Byzantine empires. Demotic Greek evolved in the early nineteenth century and was one of two forms of the language competing for dominance in modern Greece. It is spoken today by about thirteen million people.
While Demotic Greek incorporates some foreign linguistic influences, and its pronunciations and grammar rules have changed from Ancient Greek, it still uses the Greek alphabet, a system that retains many characteristics from its ancient form. First used about the year 750 BCE, the alphabet consists of twenty-four characters and is the first writing system to use vowels. The alphabet also doubled as a number system, with each character assigned a numerical value. Many modern alphabets are related to the Greek system.
Some differences between Ancient and Demotic Greek can be found in letter pronunciations. Both use the same Greek letters, but the alphabet's second letter, beta, is spoken with a b sound in Ancient Greek, and a v sound in Demotic. In Ancient Greek, delta is pronounced as a d and in Demotic as a th.
History and Classification
Greek has its roots in Indo-European languages, a common ancestor of many modern languages that originated about 4000 BCE in an area near the Black Sea. The Greeks were the first Europeans to use an alphabet, developing an early writing system called Linear B about 1500 to 1200 BCE. The ancestor of the modern Greek alphabet originated about 750 BCE and was adopted from the Phoenician writing system. This system included characters that did not correspond to sounds in the Greek language. Rather than discard the symbols, the Greeks adapted five of the Phoenician consonants into vowels. These became alpha, epsilon, iota, omicron, and upsilon—letters that evolved into the English vowels, a, e, i, o, u. The language was originally written right to left and changed direction after each line, a method known as "ox-turning."
Over time, the language splintered into various local dialects and alphabets. One of these branches migrated to what is now Italy, where it was used by the Etruscans, precursors to the Romans. Eventually, this branch developed into the Latin alphabet used in English.
About the fourth century BCE, another line evolved into the Ionic alphabet, the direct descendant of Demotic. The capital letters of modern Greek date from this time. This branch continued to develop and was used in the language known as Koine Greek—the speech used during the time of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire adopted this form of Greek and introduced the lowercase letters used in the twenty-first century.
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. After Greece won its independence in 1829, many Greeks who had been living abroad returned home. They spoke a variation of Greek more closely related to the language of antiquity, while the Greek under Ottoman rule bore heavy Turkish and Western European influences. Greek leaders wanted a common language to help unite the newly independent nation, but debate erupted over the style of Greek that language should use.
Greek scholars began to organize the language spoken by the common people, creating a system of grammar, punctuation, and spelling that adopted words from Turkish and Italian. This form of Greek became known as Demotic Greek, which means "of the people." Other intellectuals felt these foreign influences corrupted the language and wanted a national standard that closely followed Ancient Greek. They developed a form of the speech that removed foreign-based words and replaced them with Ancient Greek or words invented from Ancient Greek roots. This "pure" form of the language was called Katharevousa Greek.
As the nineteenth century progressed, Katharevousa Greek was increasingly used by Greek writers and for official communication. However, since Katharevousa was a newly created mixture of ancient and modern words, it was often used inconsistently and could be difficult to understand. A growing movement began among Greeks to adopt the Demotic form of the language as the standard. This disagreement over language polarized Greek society for decades. In 1901, eight people were killed in riots protesting the translation of the Gospels into Demotic, and the issue became a contentious religious and political disagreement for most of the twentieth century.
In 1967, a coup toppled the Greek government, and the military leaders instituted Katharevousa as the country's official version of the language. Seven years later the dictatorship fell, and the ousted Greek government returned to power. In 1976, Parliament ended the debate over the language by making Demotic the country's official form of Greek.
Geographic Distribution and Modern Usage
Demotic Greek remains the official language of Greece and the island nation of Cyprus. In Greece, it is spoken by 99 percent of the population of 10.7 million. Demotic Greek is also recognized as a minority language in Albania, Armenia, Romania, Ukraine, and parts of Italy. The language is spoken by Greeks living in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Russia, South Africa, Egypt, Sweden, and parts of other nations. It is used by an estimated thirteen million people worldwide.
Bibliography
"Greece." CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2015. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html
"Greek." Ancientscipts.com. Ancientscipts.com. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. PERLINK "http://www.ancientscripts.com/greek.html" http://www.ancientscripts.com/greek.html
"Greek." Omniglot: The Online Encyclopedia of Writing Systems & Languages. Simon Ager. 2015. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. RLINK "http://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm" http://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm
"Guide to Greek Pronunciation Conventions." Institute of Biblical Greek. Institute of Biblical Greek. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. http://www.biblicalgreek.org/links/pronunciation.php
Mackridge, Peter. "The Greek Language Controversy." Helleniccomserve.com. Hellenic Communication Service. 2000. Web. 11 Sept. 2015. INK "http://www.helleniccomserve.com/greeklanguage.html" http://www.helleniccomserve.com/greeklanguage.html
"Modern Greek." UCLA Language Materials Project. UCLA International Institute. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=30&menu=004