An essay on the importance of establishing an International Day dedicated to the Greek language by Elias Volonakis (Student in the Greek Language Program, University of Toronto, Academic Year 2019-2020)

International Greek Language Day

February 9th has been declared officially as International Greek Language Day. Such recognition allows for the promotion of the Greek language and Greek thought more broadly. It also enables an appreciation of the extent to which the Greek language permeates our ways of thinking and understanding, in philosophy and science. Whether we realize it or not, at least in the Western world, we are all Greek-speakers to one extent or another. In English alone, it is estimated that over 150,000 words have Greek origins (Peraki, 2015). Others suggest that as much 40% of our English vocabulary has Greek etiologies (Peraki, 2015 ). Thus, without knowing it, English speakers indirectly interact with Greek and by extension Greek philosophy, culture and thought daily. Some of these borrowed words appear in common conversation, however, many of them are technical and scientific terms (Newton, 2018).

The contribution of the Greek language is especially evident in the sciences. One might say that it is the Greek language that first developed, shaped and expressed the beginning of many scientific theories (Newton, 2018). One need only think of such greater thinkers as Pythagoras, Aristotle, Archimedes, and Hippocrates, to appreciate the depth of their contribution to our understanding of modern biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics (Newton, 2018). One of the many attractive qualities of the Greek languages in the sciences is the language’s descriptive nature (Newton, 2018).

For instance, the word paresthesia is the medical term for numbness and the feeling of “pins and needles”. A speaker of the Greek language need not have medical training to understand this. The word paresthesia is derived from Greek words para and aesthesia , which put together directly translates to beside or abnormal sensation, which undoubtedly perfectly describes the feeling of “pins and needles”. Turning to philosophy, or, to break it down to its meaning, “the love of wisdom”, Greek philosophers were among the first to explore nature in a rational way and to make educated guesses about the creation of the world and universe (Levi, 2017).

The writings of Plato and Aristotle speak about what it means to be human (Levi, 2017). Plato argues that every human soul has the desire to reach a higher, purer and more spiritual truth that will illuminate our lives and transform our world. It is through spiritual and creative means, which we are able to do this. Aristotle argues that our job is to find our place in the material world through the means of science and technology (Violatti, 2013).

This contrast of how we see the world remains a tension to date in every society; if we should act in a way that is logical versus spiritual or creative. To better grasp the writings of Plato and Aristotle, one ought to appreciate their writings in their original Ancient Greek. Plato and Aristotle’s arguments become richer and more nuanced, which is not always captured in their translations (Violatti, 2013).

The reality is that a scan across Western philosophical thought reveals the extent to which Plato, Aristotle, and many other ancient Greek philosophers and thinkers shaped our thinking (Levi, 2017). It only takes the realization that the term “democracy” stems from the words, “demos” (public) and “kratos” (state) to appreciate how foundational the participation of a country’s citizens is to the government of a nation-state(Hedrick, 1999).

That appreciation extends to one understanding of how a democracy is to operate. The right of citizens to propose and vote on the legislation has its roots in Greek democracy ( Hedrick, 1999 ).

In Ancient Athens, all decrees had to be voted by an assembly of citizens, before becoming law. It is against such a backdrop that one can see just how much the values of the Greek Democracy have come to shape our own democratic systems and values (Hedrick, 1999).
Beyond such a realization, a study of Western thinkers in the period from “Plato to Nato”, underscores the extent to which Greek thinking and the Greek language is threaded in the works and thoughts of modern-day thinking (Levi, 2017). One only ought to consider the works of thinkers such as Augustine, Kant, John Locke, Jean Jacque Rousseau, Niezche, Heigel, Marx, and Charles Taylor, to track the various threads of Greek thinking. Whether these thinkers adopted, rejected, or developed the thoughts of the original thinkers, they all began with an interpretation of those original texts (Levi, 2017).

Those interpretations would have necessarily depended on somebody’s understanding of the Greek language, be that through their direct knowledge of Greek or through translations. All of which comes back to the recognition of just how foundational the Greek Language has been to our overall well-being. Having underscored the various contributions of the Greek language, one must not be naïve to believe that
learning Greek will enable somebody to immediately understand the works of Plato and Aristotle or to become a scientist. The International Greek Language Day is meant to spark the interest of anyone who chooses to learn the Greek language and to sensitize the public to the values of the Greek language. The reality is that it is only with intense studying and practice that one may be able to truly appreciate the Greek language and all it has to offer. The International Greek Language Day offers a springboard of a lifetime of study.

Bibliography

Hedrick,, C. W. (1999). Agora Publication: Democracy and the Athenian Epigraphical Habit. Athens, Greece: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Peraki, M., & Vougiouklaki, C. (2015, May 18). How has Greek influenced the English language? Retrieved February from British Council website: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/how-has-greek-influenced-english-language

Levi, A. W. & Stroll, A. (2017, June 16). Ancient Greek And Roman Philosophy. Retrieved February from Britannica website: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-philosophy/
Ancient-Greek-and-Roman-philosophy

Newton, B. E., Malikouti-Drachman, A., Lejeune, M., & Ruijgh, C. J. (2018, April 13). Greek Language. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica website: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-language

Violatti, C. (2013, June 11). Greek Philosophy. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from Ancient History Encyclopedia website: https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Philosophy/