Greek Language

Dionysios Solomos, born on the island of Zakynthos in 1798, is rightly regarded as the National Poet of Greece for writing "Imnos eis tin Eleftherían," ("Hymn to Liberty"), the first two stanzas of which became the national anthem of...

More and more students in China are learning Greek as around 10 universities offer Greek programs for undergraduate studies. By Xu Yan “The gorgeous Greek letters and enchanting scenery in Santorini drive me to learn Greek,” said Zisong Wen, a sophomore...

Romeyka is a dialect of Greek spoken in the region of Trabzon (Trapezounta) and Pontus, around Turkey's Black Sea coast. Researchers say it bears striking resemblances to ancient Greek dialects. Its speakers are Muslims but many also trace their lineage...

The Italian city of Naples commemorated International Greek Language Day with events to highlight the timeless contribution of Greek to world history. After a two-year lull due to the pandemic, philhellenes, academics and members of the Greek Italian community at...

To celebrate Greek Language Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created a video highlighting the Greek language’s endurance over the millennia. Young students of Greek from different parts of the world recite famous poems that marked Greek and world history. Poems...

International Greek Language Day is celebrated annually every February 9, the day which also honors the memory of the Greek national poet Dionysios Solomos, who wrote Greece's national anthem ''Hymn to Liberty.'' This celebration seeks to highlight the Greek language’s...

Many Greeks recall the speeches in English — peppered with Greek-origin words and phrases — given by economist and politician Xenophon Zolotas in the late 1950s. Zolotas was director of the Bank of Greece when he appeared in front of...

Tsakonika, the language of ancient Sparta, still survives today, despite the ravages of time and the many reversals of fortune in Greece.

Surprisingly, the names of countless countries around the world come from words found in the Greek language, attesting to the influence of Greek.

Among the world's 2,700 languages, Greek stands out for its centuries-long, unique and continuous path. If we also consider the influence it exerted—both in terms of formation and content—on European as well as other languages, Greek is, without exaggeration,...