Greek language

Greek (ελληνικά or ελληνική γλώσσα), is an independent branch of the Indo-European  family of languages. Native for many centuries to the Southern Balkans and Southern Italy, Western Asia Minor and the Aegean, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history, which arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Coptic, and many other writing systems.

The Greek language played an influential role in the cultural and linguistic development of Europe, most widely known and defined as the Western world and Christianity. The canon of ancient Greek literature includes works of monumental importance, such as the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. Greek was also the language in which many of the foundational texts of Western philosophy, such as the Platonic dialogues and the works of Aristotle, were composed. The New Testament of the Christian Bible was written in Koiné Greek. Along with the Latin texts and traditions of the Roman world, the study of the Greek texts and society of antiquity constitutes the discipline of Classics.

Greek was a widely spoken lingua franca in the Mediterranean world and beyond during Antiquity including the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Periods and would eventually become the official language of the Byzantine Empire. In its modern form, it is the official language of Greece and Cyprus and one of the 23 official languages of the European Union. The language is spoken by at least 13 million people today in Greece, Cyprus and several diaspora communities in numerous parts of the world.

Greek roots are often used to coin new words for other languages, especially in the sciences and medicine where Greek and Latin are the predominant sources of the international scientific vocabulary. Over fifty thousand English words derive from the Greek language.

At the Language School of Syllabus we have undertaken the commitment to contribute to the diffusion of the Greek Language and Civilisation by organising a series of Language and Cultural courses at the birthplace of Homer, Chios. We are really enthusiastic about the idea of teaching our language whose primary comprehensible forms and earliest literary masterpieces such as the Homeric Epic Poems date at least from the 8th century B.C.

For further information about modern greek language studies and certified qualifications, please visit the following website: www.greek-language.gr.