Some Greek, to get you in the climate!
Key dates in Greek History
- 6,000 BC Neolithic settlements
- 3000-1600 BC The Minoan or Mycenaean age (remains at Dimini and Sesklo near Volos)
- 700 BC Homeric poems written
- Jason and the Argonauts set out on their travels from Volos
- 5th c. BC Great age of classical Greece, including philosophy and the arts (some remains near Volos, e.g. theatre, aquadact, palace, and in the museum).
- 4th c. BC Age of Alexander the Great
- 2nd c. BC The so-called 'Hellenistic' (as opposed to classical) period in Greece, when Rome dominated the area for several centuries
- AD 313-1453 Christianity becomes official and Byzantine Empire dominates the Eastern Mediterranean (capital at Constantinople) for over a 1000 years.
- 1453 Constantinople falls to the Turks and Greece occupied
- 1821 Greek War of Independence
- 1914-18 First World War (Greece with Allies)
- 1939-45 Second World War (Greece with Allies, occupied from 1941)
- 1945-50 Greek Civil War
- 1967-74 Army coup - Greece under the Colonels
Suggested reading
There are innumerable books on Greek history, art, philosophy and language, and a vast range of tour guides and phrase books. General reading and some historical novels are also recommended.
- Nicholas Gage: Hellas, A Portrait of Greece, Athens: Efstathiadis, 1993
- Michael Macrone: It's Greek to Me! Brush up your Classics, London: Pavillion, 1992
- Peter France: Greek as a Treat. An Introduction to the Classics, London: Penguin/BBC, 1994
- H. D. F. Kitto: The Greeks, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973 or any ed. (for Classical Greece)
- Anything by Nikos Kazantzakis, but especially Zorba the Greek and Freedom or Death (any ed.). Good for insight into War of Independence, Second World War and Greece generally.
- Nicholas Gage (Gatzoyanni): Eleni, 1983 (novel of the Second World War, also made into a film).
- Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, London: Secker and Warburg, 1994 (novel, set in Second World War and Civil War - Kefallonia)
- Michael J. Bird, Who Pays the Ferryman? Athens: Efstathiadou, 1981 (light reading, the resistance in Crete/present day)
- Also novels by Mary Renault (Mask of Apollo etc) on Mycaenaen Greece
Language
Some notes on 'minimum Greek' are attached, plenty of phrase books are available for lists of food etc. Also:
- K. Tofallis: A Textbook of Modern Greek, for Beginners up to GCSE, London: Greek Inst, 1991
There is a specialist Greek bookshop in London:
Zeno Booksellers, 6 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LP (Tel: 0171 240 1968)
Minimum Greek
Greek is difficult. The different alphabet can cause problems, and the grammar is complex because the endings change a lot. Many phrase books give phonetic pronunciations, but avoid books which give only phonetics, and not proper spellings as well.
However, a few simple words and phrases will carry you a long way and be regarded as a very welcome gesture. As you learn a few words, you will be surprised how closely words are related to English; some 40% of English words are based on Greek.
First try to learn the alphabet, if you can:
| Name of letter | Greek | approximate pronunciation / English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| alpha | Α α | a |
| vita | Β β | v (not 'b'; 'b' sound is made by μπ) |
| gamma | Γ γ | g/gh (guttural sound, cross between a 'g' a 'y' and a French 'r') |
| delta | Δ δ | th (as in 'then' - not 'd'; 'd' sound is made by 'nt') |
| epsilon | Ε ε | e |
| zeta | Ζ ζ | z |
| eta | Η η | ee or i (NB small η is not 'n') |
| theta | Θ θ | th (as in 'thin') |
| iota | Ι ι | ee or i |
| kappa | Κ κ | k |
| lamda | Λ λ | l |
| mi (me) | Μ μ | m |
| ni (nee) | Ν ν | n (NB small ν is not 'v') |
| xi (xee) | Ξ ξ | x, ks |
| omicron | Ο ο | o |
| pi (pee) | Π π | p |
| ro | Ρ ρ | r (not 'p') |
| sigma | Σ σ | s (written ς at the end of a word) |
| taf | Τ τ | t |
| ipsilon | Υ υ | ee or i (NB small υ is not 'u'; ευ = 'ev' ) |
| fi (fee) | Φ φ | f |
| hi (hee) | Χ χ | h or kh (like 'ch' in the Scottish, 'loch') |
| psi (psee) | Ψ ψ | ps |
| omega | Ω ω | o |
Once you learn these, actually there are fewer irregularities in the way words are pronounced than in English. The accents or stresses on words look complicated, but in fact they tell you each time where to put the stress as you pronounce a word.
| Greek | Phonetic | English |
|---|---|---|
| χαίρετε | hérete | hello/goodbye (formal greeting) |
| χαίρω πολύ | héro polí | how do you do, pleased to meet you (ie formal hello) |
| χάρηκα πολύ | hárika polí | pleased to have met you (ie formal goodbye) |
| αντίο | andío | goodbye |
| καλό ταξίδι | kaló taxíthi | good journey ('bon voyage') |
| γειά σου | yiásou | hello/goodbye (informal greeting, singular) |
| γειά σας | yiásas | hello/goodbye (informal greeting, plural) |
| τι κάνετε | ti kánete | how are you (ti kanis? singular) |
| (πολύ) καλά | (polí) kalá | (very) well |
| καλός | kalós | good (kalá, plural) |
| κακός | kakós | bad |
| καλημέρα | kaliméra | good morning/good day |
| καλησπέρα | kalispéra | good afternoon (good evening as you arrive) |
| καληνύχτα | kaliníchta | good night (good evening, as you leave) |
| χρόνια πολλά | chrónia pollá | congratulations (birthdays, Christmas etc) |
| παρακαλώ | parakaló | please |
| ευχαριστώ | efharistó | thank you |
| ναι | né | yes |
| όχι | óhi | no |
| σιγά | sighá | slowly, gently, carefully |
| γρήγορα | ghríghora | quickly |
| πολύ ωραία | polí oraiá | very nice |
| αυτό | aftó (aftá) | this/that, these/those (use to indicate an object) |
| πόσο κάνει | póso kánee? | how much does it cost? |
| πού είναι | poo eenay? | where is (it)? |
| είμαι | eemay | I am |
| (δεν) έχω | (then) ého | I (don't) have |
| δεν καταλαβαίνω | then catalavéno | I don't understand |
| συγγνώμη | sighnómi | excuse me, I beg your pardon |
| είμαι Άγγλος | eemay Anglos | I am English (feminine Anglítha) |
| μιλάτε Αγγλικά | miláte Angliká? | do you speak English? (Anglía=England) |
| πανεπιστήμιο | panepisteemio | university |
| θέλω | thélo | I want |
| καθήστε | kathíste | do sit down |
| εντάξει | endáksi | all right, OK |
| δεν πειράζει | then pirázi | it doesn't matter |
| μια στιγμή | miá stigmí | just a minute |
| πολύ | polí | very, a lot |
| λίγο | lígho | a little |
| μεγάλο | meghálo | big |
| μικρό | micró | small |
| ακριβό | acrivó | expensive |
Numbers:
éna=1, dío=2, tría=3, téssera=4, pénde=5, éxi=6, épta=7, octó=8, ennéa=9, déca=10, ícosee=20, ekató=100