Katharevousa and Demotic: the language question
How the 19th–20th century «language question» shaped today's Standard Modern Greek.
For about 150 years Greece had two competing written varieties: Katharevousa («purified»), an archaising language close to Ancient Greek, used by the state, law and science; and Demotic, the spoken language, used in literature and daily life. In 1976 Demotic became the official language, and in 1982 the polytonic accent system was replaced by the monotonic.
| Katharevousa | Standard Modern Greek |
|---|---|
| ὁ ἄνθρωπος (polytonic) | ο άνθρωπος (monotonic) |
| ἡ πόλις, τῆς πόλεως | η πόλη, της πόλης |
| γράφειν (infinitive) | να γράφει |
| ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ (dative) | στο σπίτι |
| ὕδωρ, ἄρτος, οἶνος | νερό, ψωμί, κρασί |
- Το αρτοποιείο είναι απέναντι.The bakery is opposite. (learned αρτο- = bread)
- Χρειαζόμαστε υδραυλικό.We need a plumber. (learned υδρ- = water)
Test yourself
-
In which year did Demotic become official?
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1976 -
What is the monotonic system?
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writing with a single accent mark (since 1982) -
Which everyday word replaced «ἄρτος»?
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ψωμί -
What does «υδραυλικός» mean?
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plumber