How Greek language is similar to the Greek they spoke in 2000 years ago?

4 Comments

1. Roy Loepz says:

   November 10, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   There were more than one Greek variant spoke 2000 years ago. Now languages are alive, so they never are the same than the past. You would expect that any language should change/evolve each 100 years, so definitely Greek now its different than Ancient Greek. The factors for this to happen are numerous. Now "Can they understand? so again lets take an example, Can English speaker from the US understand classics like Shakespeare in the original text? Most certainly, but it’ll require a bit of educated person to read (characters are the same, words might be on disuse). Now, if you refer the specific variant (like Koiné) and you are referring "Scripts" as Scriptures; of course they can, also if you are trying to learn it you probably could fine some classes to take in old/ancient Greek.
2. Kimon says:

   November 10, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   About 80% of Medieval Greek (330-1450) and about 60% of Koine (330BC-330AC) has words common to Modern Greek even if the meaning of many of them has changed.

   Understanding is an other thing altogether.

   I can understand about 80% of the Bible Koine (not Luke since he was both Greek and well educated he wrote in very difficult Greek).
3. Min Mou Tous Kiklon Terate says:

   November 10, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   TO the point that a well educated greek of today can..DECIPHER a manuscruipt or chissled out letters on a statue or stella..

   I agree with both answers above.with most of what they said..but .
   i belive…. the meaning is the same we just dotn use the words in context as they where in ancient greek..

   for instance… al thought we use in modern greek mostly the word PORTA (which means door in latin) is not a greek word but an adopted word for door which in greek and ancient greek was (THERA),,now in my life time i must have heard any number of greeks of not more than a couple of dozen say the word thera meanign the door… belive it or not u would get a farmer sayign thera..than a modern athenian.. or people who live in remote areas are more proned to talk a more ancient form of greek..but non the less modern greeks can understand them most of the times…
4. Emma says:

   November 10, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   Actually fully understanding whole scripts or even phrases in Ancient Greek is REALLY difficult.But,there are many words that are similar or the same as words in Modern Greek.