Romaic or Modern Greek Grammar [PDF]

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by

HICKLING, SWAN, AND BREWER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

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INTRODUCTION

u

And the of the Alexandrian and Roman periods, found in regions widely remote from each other, in Spain, in Mesopotamia, and from ^Ethiopia to Sarmatia, attest the corWhen, in the course of time, its rectness of this statement. turn came to stand on the defensive, the language of Greece was enabled by its singular tenacity to resist all external atThe modern pronouns, personal endings, case-endings, tacks. and numerals, clearly show that the combined forces of barbarism could make no impression upon its centre. The Latin conquered the West ; but it retreated somewhat precipitately from Greek ground. The Bulgarians were compelled to adopt the language of their neighbors, the Slavi ; but the Slavic had to yield to the Greek wherever it came in immediate contact with it. As to the Turkish population of Greece, they are indebted to their creed rather than to their native pride for the preservation of their Tatar dialect.

Greek

Greek

is

read almost everywhere," says Cicero. 1

inscriptions

The Romaic or Modern Greek, the language of the modern Greeks, and the leading language of the Levant, is the offspring In its orthography and etymology it is of Mediaeval Greek. essentially the same as Ancient Greek. But it diifers from the parent stock in many particulars. Thus, I. All its vow el-sounds are isochronous, no distinction being made between long and short. 1 Cicer. pro Arch. 23. Nam siquis minorem gloriae fructum putat ex Graecis versibus percipi quam ex Latinis, vekementer errat propterea, quod Gracca leguntur in omnibus fere regionibus, Latina suis :

finibus, exiguis sane, continentur.

INTRODUCTION.

IV

II. Its rhythm depends not on quantity, as in Ancient Greek, but on accent. III. In general, the meanings of its words do not belong to the ancient language, although for the most part legitimately

developed from it. IV. In its syntax it is essentially different from classical Greek. V. It has discarded the dual number. VI. Masculines and feminines of the classical third declension are inflected after the analogy of the first. Y1I. The ancient diminutives have taken the place of their primitives.

has no nouns of the common gender. relations which, in Ancient Greek, are denoted by the genitive and dative, are, in Modern Greek, generally expressed by the accusative with prepositions. X. Its pronouns, with the exception of the personal, demonstrative, and interrogative, are periphrastic. Its future, perfect, and pluperfect are periphrastic, as in English. XII. The third person of the imperative is periphrastic, as in English. XIII. It has no middle voice, the passive supplying its place. XIV. It has no optative mood ; its place being supplied by

VIII.

It

IX. The

XL

the subjunctive and indicative. XV. It has no infinitive; its place being supplied by the subjunctive with ud, or by the indicative with on. Except the infinitive after the auxiliary verbs 6e\s. But important as are these deviations from the classical standard, the modern dialect is so intimately connected with the ancient, that a critical knowledge of the former without a corresponding knowledge of the latter is wholly out of the question. In fact, a Greek's mastery of his mother tongue is just in proportion to his acquaintance with Ancient Greek. Dialects, in the usual sense of the term, do not exist in Ko-

XX.

It

;

INTRODUCTION.

V

Provincial vulgarisms, however, are very common. maic. Further, every district has its acceM, that is, its peculiar modulation of voice. As to the jargon of Tsakonid, in Peloponnesus, it is so unlike the national language that it has no For although a bartitle to be called a genuine Greek dialect. barous Romaic, some of its characteristics seem to connect it with the Slavic. And if it can be shown ethnologically that the Tsakoniots belong to the Slavic type, they must be regarded as the lineal descendants of the Slavi who settled in Peloponnesus in the eighth century, and finally lost their original language without being able to substitute the Greek in its place. Previously to the late Greek revolution the best Romaic was spoken at Constantinople, and particularly at Phanari, not because the Constantinopolitans were of purer descent, but simply because, as a body, they were less ignorant than the inhabitants of the provinces. At present the cultivated Modem Greek is not confined to any particular place. It is the lan-

guage of the educated generally, and of scholars in particular And as of course the language of books and newspapers. Athens is now the centre of Modern Greek literature, it is natural that the number of those who speak it and write it well should be greater there than in any other city. Antiquity of the ^Romaic.

As languages, during their natural development, pass from one stage to another by imperceptible degrees, it is impossible to fix the precise period

when Greek began

to

assume

its

mod-

ern form.

The dialogue, preserved by Theophanes, in which the Greens, the Blues, and Justinian's spokesman appear as interlocutors, affords direct proof that, as late as the sixth century, the language of the common people was Ancient Greek. 2 The style

2

y

Theophanes,

279 [A. M. 6024. A. D. 524]. Ave\66vTa " Kkto. [acta]. Aid dveKpa^av ol tu>v Tlpacrivcov. KaXonoo'iov [v. 1. KaAa7roSioj/] tov KovfiiKovXdpiov [cubicularium] Kai uivaQapiov. Ol Updcnvoi ""Ett; 7roAAa, 'lovoriviave avyovare tov 'AdiKovpai, pove fiiKas [Justiniane auguste, tu vincas]. to. peprj

ev rco

p.

iTnriKcct

•

•

aya#e, ov j3acrra^a)

•

oidev 6 Beds-

Qofiovpai ovopdaai,

pr}

[mandator].

ir\eov evTv^rjcrr}

"Tiff io~Tiv ovk T^ayydpia eupi'crKerai." u " Oudels vpds dStKel." 'Mavo'aTcop. Ei$ Kal pdvos Ol Updaivoi. ddiKel pc 0eoro/ce, p,rj dvaKeCpaXicrr] /" MavSarwp. "Tis eWw e'/cei-

ko\ jue'XXa) Kiv8vvev€iv." u '0 7rkeov€KT(0V olba."

Mai/Sarwp

pe, TpicravyovcrTe

,

els to.

INTRODUCTION.

VI

of a Procopius was of course superior to that of an ordinary But there is a wide difference between style and

person. dialect.

John Lydus, indeed, intimates

that the words dnaKapia, plate,

morning, pavrlov, cloak, belonged to the language of the

avyrj,

many, or the multitude, that is, the common people. 3 And we add here, that they are still heard in Greece. But from these three specimens no inference can be drawn that the uneducated Greeks of the sixth century spoke Romaic. For in all highly cultivated languages there are words and forms of words which good speakers and writers avoid. Thus, d^dpiov (modern -^dpi), for lx&vs> fish, and the verbal forms cpdyecrai, iriecrai, ohvvacrai, Kavxao-ai,

occur in the

New

Testament. 4

And

in a barbarous

Greek inscription, found in Nubia, vypov stands for vbcap, water ; 5 which shows the antiquity of the mediaeval and modern vepov. In Malchus (A. D. 500 ?) we find a genitive singular in - rj, from -r]s, analogous to the Doric -a and -co, from as, -oj. Thus, p. 231, Aeovros rov MaKeXXr). Theophylactus Simocata informs us that the masses gave to The modern apftav the meaning of vy\rrj\bv prjpa, high stage.

word for pidpit is 6 dpficovas. He observes also, that, in the modern language, the Teppauoi were called $pdyyoi which means simply in the Greek of the period in which he lived. Procopius in the same connection uses vvv, now. 6 ;

Ol Tlpdcnvoi. "2u kcu povos oidas, rpicravyovaTe, pe arjpepov" Mavftdrcop. " Et tis iav earlu ovk 018a" KaXoTrodtos 6 cmaBdpios aSiKei pe, decrnora Ol Tlpdcnvoi.

vos ovk o'lSapev" rls TrkeoveKTei

pev"

7rdvTa>v"

k. r. A.

The words

"A/cra.

Aia.

Ko\o7t68lov top Kovj3iKov\dpiov kcu cnra-

form the title of the record or document copied by and if so, they do not belong to the narrative. 3 Joannes Lydus [born about A. D. 490], Papalois de pp. 11. to Kavovv eVl peu tg>i> Upcov aarovpav [saturamj, cnl be t&v evco)(icou enovXapiav [from epularis], r/u dnaXapiav ol 7roXKo\ e£ dyvoias 7Tpoo~ayopevovcriv enovXas [epulasl yap tcis cvcdxuis Pcopaiois eBus

seem Theophanes

to

Bdpiov

;

•

82. 'Avio~xcov 6 tjXlos rov opBpiov diaaKopiri^ei Kcupbv, bu ol 178. 'O di pavdvrjs ^Aa/u^oy eldos eVrt, to 7to\Xo\ avyt]v ovupd^ovcriv. KciXelu.

Trapci ra> ir\r)Bei pavriov Xeyopevov. 4 Test. Joann. 21, 9. 13.

Nov

5

5072, 20. Ovk errcoKav vrjpov ecrcd els ttjv oiklciv avrcov. The derived from vda>, to flow, after the analogy of Xaprrpos, \j/vxp6s, from Xdpnco, ^uyw. Its Ionic form would

B.

n.

classical vapos, flowiny, fluid, is

be

vrjpos,

c

whence

vrjpdv,

and

Nrjpevs, (he

Theophylactus Simocata

[A.

Water-God. 1).

610-629], pp. 333.

'Ai/els-

-

INTRODUCTION.

vii

Theophanes (A. D. 758 - 816) we enter the confines Modern Greek. Besides a host of new words, and ancient words with new meanings, most of which are now actually in

With

of

use, I.

he has the following grammatical innovations

:

—

The endings -dbes, -docov, -ddas, in nouns in -ds: pp. 699, emirs. 698, 21 tovs dprjpddas. 689, 13 tcov d/3/3acW,

1 ol dp,r]pd8es,

II. Genitive in -i from -is: p. III. Metaplastic da(§ 10, 1 , 2.) tive plural: p. 624, 9 reus p.vpid8ais, v. 1. p,vpido~i. (§ 10, 2, 2.) IV. The endings -is-, -iv, for -io s, -iov: pp. 691, 19 6 Kvpis. 696,

fathers, as a title.

(§ 10, n. 2.)

572 tov Advanpi, tov Advao-Tpi.

19 tov Kvpiv. 351, 11 to p.apyapiTapiv. 545, 19 tydpiv. 489, 4 awa260, 2 o-Tixaptv. (§ 11, 1, 2.) These endings are, strictly speaking, ancient, for they occur in inscriptions referred to the first three Thus, B. nn. 284, 40 Arj^Tpis- 704 to 'EXeucenturies of our era. Gepiv. 942 tov E\Xa8iz>. 1781 tov 'Acppobetaiv. 4866 [A. D. 115] 6Lv.

c

5013 'lovkis. 5031 Kvpis. V. The ending denoting the effect produced by an instrument: p. 490, 6 kovtciVI. The ending -or for -s to ydw tov tWou. (§ 65, XIV. 'A7ro by, for viro, after passive forms pp. 26, 6. 'Ek5.) 26, 13. 'EkXtjOt] curb to>v AlyvnTiXrjdrjo'av curb rav Tlepaav Ildpdoi. :

:

,

69, 6. AiOLicovpevr) de dnb tSv vlatv ILikov. for iv, in: pp. 94, 3. 'Averpdcpr} els to. /3acr/Xeta tov 'Arpecos. 29, 21. "Epeivav avToX i/cel els ttjv ~2,vpiav. (§ 65, XVI. Merd, with, followed by the accusative: p. 90, 11. 1.)

Hpicrpey lottos 'Epprjs.

tov

XV. Els

(§ 64, 6.)

Tcov de Kopiv6l o-e cktioo, built thee, O oven, I will de-

thee.

Anna Comnena also alludes to the common dialect.™ has preserved the following popular tetrastitch (§ 91, 3) To

She

cra/3/3arov ttjs Tvpivrjs

evorjoes to • bevrepav to rrpco't Etiva, " KaXcos, yepdniv pov."

Xapfjs, ' AXe'^ie

Kai

•

ttjv

In two of his poems, Ptochoprodromus uses a language which fundamentally the same as the Romaic of the present day. So that he may with propriety be regarded as the earliest Modern Greek author of whom we have any knowledge. The prologues and epilogues of these effusions are in what may be called barbarous Ancient Greek. 11 give here some of his grammatical peculiarities.

is

We

N

I.

annexed

to

9

in a vowel (fiopetv, aiTevio-drjv, yeiII. The ending eKade£ovv, ioev.

words ending

Tovav, Tivdv, vnodrjpav, fipao'vv,

:

Scylitzes [eleventh century], pp. 643,

ko\ KaBrjpat-evpevov e7rtXeya>u

"

•

12.

T6

'Ec5 ere eKTioa, (povpve

Brjpatbes •

ea> iva

tovto oe %a-

644, 1. 'Srl.cpos o~TpaTia>TtKov dirooTeiXas (Bapayyovs ovtovs i) ovopd^ei 8tdXea

bh, or v

Brjra

gh dh

Ta/jL/na

e

e

Aekra 'E yjriXoi

z.e

z

Zrjra

H,

i

*Hra

A, 8

E,

rj

A Ipha Bhita

Ghdma Dhelta E'psilon

Zita Ita

9,0,% 1

th

OfJTCt,

Thita

i

lcoTa

Iota

K, K A, \

h

Kdirira

Kdpa

i

Ad/jL{3$a

Ldmbhdha

M,p

m

IV, v

n

MO

m

A*5,

or

x

JT,

7T,

W

P.P

X

Ksi

Hi

U

0, o

Mi Ni

fJLLKpOV

Omilzron

P

m

r

Pu

Ro

5

Uly/jba

Pi

T, T

t

Tav

Sighma Taph

r,v

i

'T $2

Phi

$,

x

>

0-,

5 final

*

ph,

%

kh ps

y,*

or/

12, 6)

1

yjrckov

Tpsilon

XI

KM

Wl

Psi

SI fieya

Omega

,

}

THE ALPHABET. Breathings.

2.

Smooth breathing oIkos,

(

'

),

as in aicovw, e^w, rj\0ov,

clvtos

Rough

breathing

(

'

),

as in oXotckrjpos, lepa^ ottov,

alfia, eiTra/xev.

3.

Acute

'

(

),

Accents.

as in airiaTos^ dirl(TTOV, fcaXos avOpcoiros,

av0p(O7ropvBi.

T' ap/JLara tmv XovXiwriaacnv K r) yXcoaaa tov arjBovoXaXel

ttjt UoTCLfiia, tov Xp7]aTov r) AXaerawva. r)

Mr)T€

a

;

silis tizghis, tovs \vkovs, tuzllikus.

T like/ in

tell, tin, tart.

Represented by

t ;

as rl^ore,

tipote, tovtov, tutu.

After JV it is generally sounded like d ; as evTipLos, endimos, Gvvrpofyos, sindrophos. So after JV in the above-mentioned proclitics rbv ti^iov, tondimion, av rbv TLfjuas, andondimds, Bev rpe^ei^ dhendrekhis. (See JV nasal.) ;

7% like

formerly also TZ,

Represented by

ts.

ts ;

as Taapovyi, tsarukhi,

TGipmw, tsimbo. After JV, it is sounded like dz zos, vraafil, dzami.

;

as ydvro-os,

ghdnd-

The combinations TX, TZ approximately express the English ch (tsh) before the vowel-sounds E, I; as cherry, raepo, cheap, tow, chip, ralir. But before A, O, OT, ch can be approximately represented only by T2I ; as charm, To-iapfi, choke, rcnofc, choose, T(TLOv£.

The combinations JV7% NT2I are employed to express the sound of the English j or g lingual (dzh) as jet, vro-e'r, gem, vro-e/j,, jib, vTo-lpLTr, gibbet, ;

VTaifJLTreT,

Notk

4.

jar, vratap, joke, vratoK, jury, vrcnovpc. In the KouyxeVra, Geojjroi, that

is

Godfrey,

is

written

PRONUNCIATION.

13

Note 5. In ancient Greek, T2, TZ occur only in foreign words. Thus, rcrabr], tsade, the name of the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (Septuagixt. Thren. passim). B. n. 4945 To-tvo-fxfjT, of the age of Diocletian. Procopius, Bell. Yand. 1, 11, p. 361 T£d£cov, brother of Gelimer. Bell. Pers. p. 78, 10 ol T£avol, an Asiatic people. The Latin ti before a vowel began to be pronounced like TZI about the sixth century. Thus, Theophanes, pp. 451 Aufxevr^ioXos, 454 Compare Isidorus, 1, 26, 28. Ao/xez/r^t'a, Domentia (A. D. 599). YetZ Uteris sola Grseca nomina scribuntur. Nam cum justitia sonum literae exprimat, tamen quia Latinum est, per T scribendum est, Malalas has Bevesicut militia, malUia, neguitia, et cetera similia.

Z

r£ia, for Venetia (p. 176).

The Latin

C retained its

ancient power as late as the same century. writes fxayicnres for mancipes (p. 69, 16), 7rappiKidas for parricidas (p. 141, 13), (paicirjs for facies (p. 145, The sounds now given to it by the Italians and Germans, when 3). it stands before e or i, seem to be recognized by Porphyrogenitus. Thus (De Adm. p. 125), he writes T£i/3tra No,8a, for Civita Nova. He remarks also (De Them. p. 32) that the Latin r^alo-ai (v. 1. r^eVe) is equivalent to the Greek dvarofiT], where the true reading

Thus,

John Lydus

seems to be rCaicno, caesio.

mouth to be rounded The English f, that

requires the moderately.

blowing

the letter formed by pressing

which comes nearest to it, is the upper teeth against the lower Represented by fypovTi^w,

as in

phrontizo,

ph

or

f;

evfypalvoo,

is,

lip.

(Compare

as e^aya, cphagJia,

ej)hphreno.

the aspirate of K, is sounded like the German ch, or the Spanish j. Represented by kh ; as %ao?, khaOS, XP° V0(; khronOS, avyx vaL S> Sinkhisis, evairXay%i>o?, ephsplankhnos. i

like IIS. TJrrpjQ),

."Represented

pshlO.

by ps

;

as

a^ro?,

dpsitos,

ACCENTS.

14

After M, it is sounded like bs (See U, above.)

;

as

e^u^o?, em-

bsikhos.

4.

Pronunciation of the Breathings.

The smooth breathing ing

A

for its

is

a

weak consonant, hay-

kindred vowel

;

that

is,

is

it

to

A

same word. In classical Greek the rough breathing corresponds to h. In Modern Greek it does not differ from the smooth; as al/jua, "EXkTjves, pronounced

what y

€fia,

in ye

is

to e in the

E\i,ve.

ACCENTS. 1.

The acute accent

generically) the

same

specifically (not

is

trtkllO,

prjrcop, ritor, TjOe%v as jjlov ypdfai, eras etira, pro-

all

;

nounced (3)

/Jiovypd(f)ec aaerelira.

The

particle vd

pronounced zW^g), (4) as

etcei

The 7rov

6d

The

eypa