When you think of Greece, you think of a dreamy white-sand paradise with an infinitely rich history, influential historical figures from Plato to Aristotle, jaw-dropping architecture wherever you look, not to mention exquisite Mediterranean food full of flavour. No wonder millions of tourists flock here every year! While Greece possesses so much beauty, history and culture, the Greek language is equally as intriguing and unique in its own right. Although Greek is relatively niche with only around 12 million native speakers worldwide, it’s still in the top 100 most spoken languages in the world and one of the 24 official languages of the EU. Unlike any language in the world, Greek should be high up on your list of languages to learn in 2021, and we will convince you why!

Did you know the Greek language…

… has 3 genders.

Similar to German, Greek has three genders as opposed to two. For example, they have masculine words that take the article ‘o‘ (o γύρος – the gyros), feminine words that go with ‘η‘ (η πατάτα – the potato), and finally the neuter form which uses ‘το‘ (το σουβλάκι – the souvlaki). Unless you’ve been learning German, this is a whole new linguistic challenge to wrap your head around, but who doesn’t love a challenge?

… has the longest word ever to appear in literature.

Prepare to have your mind blown here! It seems scarcely believable, but the longest word ever found in literature featured in ‘Assemblywoman’, a play written in 391 BC by Aristophanes, which referred to a fictional dish consisting of several meats. Want to know how long it was? A whooping 171 letters!

If you’re feeling brave, try to read this out loud:

λοπαδο­τεμαχο­σελαχο­γαλεο­κρανιο­λειψανο­δριμ­υπο­τριμματο­σιλφιο­καραβο­μελιτο­κατακεχυ­μενο­κιχλ­επι­κοσσυφο­φαττο­περιστερ­αλεκτρυον­οπτο­κεφαλλιο­κιγκλο­πελειο­λαγῳο­σιραιο­βαφη­τραγανο­πτερύγων

… used to have two official versions.

Before 1976, there were two variations of the Greek language; ‘Demotic‘ (commonly used in casual contexts, such as conversations with friends and family, as well as in literature) and ‘Katharevousa‘ (predominantly used in academia, law, medicine and in much more formal scenarios). Eventually, the Government decided to stick to just one, so they adopted Demotic Greek as the official language.

… had the first alphabet to include vowels.

The Modern Greek alphabet is one of the oldest in the world having existed since the 9th century and, unbelievably, it was actually the first to include vowels. Before this innovation, alphabets only consisted of consonants and some still do today, such as Arabic (read our other blog to find out more).

… had a huge impact on the English language.

Throughout history, Greece has had an enormous influence on languages across the globe, including English. In fact, around 12% of all English words derive from Greek, particularly technical and mathematical terms, like ‘astronomy‘ and ‘biology‘, as well as most words starting with ‘ph‘ (‘philosophy‘, ‘phobia‘ etc). Know any other examples? Let us know in the comments!

Feel inspired to take on the Greek language? Find out more and sign up to one of our online or face-to-face Greek classes here.