View Full Version : greek based english
A Random Person
February 27th, 2009, 09:17 PM
what would it look like if english was more influenced by romanized greek than latin?
GeneralHouston
February 27th, 2009, 09:20 PM
Well, as Latin is very influenced by Greek vocabukary, and as it's only English vocabulary and not grammar that's influenced by Latin, not very different.
Dan1988
February 27th, 2009, 09:43 PM
what would it look like if english was more influenced by romanized greek than latin?
Depends on what type of Greek. Most Greek loanwords into English have been filtered by Latin (except for some words of Modern Greek origin, including such stereotypical words as bouzouki), but which Greek are you referring to? Medieval/Byzantine Greek? Koiné/New Testament Greek? Modern Greek (in either katharevousa or dhimotiki)?
A Random Person
February 27th, 2009, 10:00 PM
Depends on what type of Greek. Most Greek loanwords into English have been filtered by Latin (except for some words of Modern Greek origin, including such stereotypical words as bouzouki), but which Greek are you referring to? Medieval/Byzantine Greek? Koiné/New Testament Greek? Modern Greek (in either katharevousa or dhimotiki)?
I was thinking koine.
Dan1988
February 27th, 2009, 10:28 PM
I was thinking koine.
So how are you going to have the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Norsemen get influenced by Koiné Greek without a Latin intermediary?
Just wondering, that's all.
Abdul Hadi Pasha
February 27th, 2009, 10:49 PM
what would it look like if english was more influenced by romanized greek than latin?
Almost exactly how it looks now, with more Greek-originating vocabulary. Are you able to tell which words are from Latin and which are Latinized Greek?
Rhesus2
February 28th, 2009, 06:39 AM
Well, assuming that it does happen somehow, the biggest difference I think would be in spelling. Words ending in -us would shift to -os, hard c's would be replaced by k's... "In the desert, many varieties of kaktos grow." Maybe...
Abdul Hadi Pasha
February 28th, 2009, 12:08 PM
Well, assuming that it does happen somehow, the biggest difference I think would be in spelling. Words ending in -us would shift to -os, hard c's would be replaced by k's... "In the desert, many varieties of kaktos grow." Maybe...
But he said "Romanized Greek", so the endings would stay -us.
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