A History Of The Greek Language

Publisher description

A History of the Greek Language is a kaleidoscopic collection of ideas on the development of the Greek language through the centuries of its existence.

Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers, Second Edition reveals the trajectory of the Greek language from the Mycenaean period of the second millennium BC to the current day. • Offers a complete linguistic treatment of the history of the Greek language • Updated second edition features increased coverage of the ancient evidence, as well as the roots and development of diglossia • Includes maps that clearly illustrate the distribution of ancient dialects and the geographical spread of Greek in the early Middle Ages

"A History of the Greek Language" is a kaleidoscopic collection of ideas on the development of the Greek language through the centuries of its existence.

This peer-reviewed collection of essays provides an account of several current foci of research in Classics. It gathers fifteen contributions covering subjects such as Greek and Latin papyrology and epigraphy. It also includes approaches to various key literary texts, from Homer to post-classical Humanists, in addition to chapters on navigation, coinage, and sculpture. This book represents a useful research tool for a wide range of scholars in Greek, Latin and Ancient History, as well as an up-to-date source for any classicist.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF Ancient Greek Attested since the fourteenth century BC, and still spoken today by over 10 million people, Greek has been one of the most influential languages in human history. English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Arabic are among the many languages to have borrowed key terms and concepts from Greek. A Brief History of Ancient Greek takes the reader through the history of this ancient language from its Indo-European beginnings right up to the present day, and explains key relationships between the language and literature of the Classical period (500–300 bc). The development of the language is also related to the social and political context, in line with modern sociolinguistic thought. The book reflects the latest scholarship on subjects such as koine Greek, and the relationship between literary and vernacular Greek. All Greek is transliterated and translated where appropriate, so that the text is accessible to readers who know little or no Greek, including scholars and students who require an accessible overview of the history of the language, or linguists and professionals who need a quick source of data and background information.

In this elementary textbook, Philip S. Peek draws on his twenty-five years of teaching experience to present the ancient Greek language in an imaginative and accessible way that promotes creativity, deep learning, and diversity. The course is built on three pillars: memory, analysis, and logic. Readers memorize the top 250 most frequently occurring ancient Greek words, the essential word endings, the eight parts of speech, and the grammatical concepts they will most frequently encounter when reading authentic ancient texts. Analysis and logic exercises enable the translation and parsing of genuine ancient Greek sentences, with compelling reading selections in English and in Greek offering starting points for contemplation, debate, and reflection. A series of embedded Learning Tips help teachers and students to think in practical and imaginative ways about how they learn. This combination of memory-based learning and concept- and skill-based learning gradually builds the confidence of the reader, teaching them how to learn by guiding them from a familiarity with the basics to proficiency in reading this beautiful language. Ancient Greek I: A 21st-Century Approach is written for high-school and university students, but is an instructive and rewarding text for anyone who wishes to learn ancient Greek.