greek language, a slavic language?

tim   Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:35 pm GMT
As many scientistes say that modern greeks are slavs, could we describe modern greek as a slavic language when it comes to pronunciation?
Turkish   Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:13 am GMT
Yes, i agree.In Turkey especially in Izmir which is a big city in the west of Turkey, Greek is spoken alternatively and nationally.There are so many Greeks in Izmir that the Turkish government has opened a course for Izmirian Turkish people to learn Greek for free.But I don't agree that Greek is a Slavonic language, because many linguists made it sure that Greek is the only official Hellenic language on Earth.So Greek isn't a Slavic language, but a Hellenic one.
George   Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:35 pm GMT
Yes, I agree. I was once Slavic when th nastalgia overcame me.
lil   Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:03 pm GMT
correction: There are Greek speaking Turkish citizens in Istanbul and Izmir (unfortunately not so many) and of course they speak in their own language, yet Greek is not spoken "alternatively and nationally" anywhere in Türkiye.
Georgero trynna get back   Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:48 pm GMT
tell that to a Greek... that Greeks speak a Slavic language... you have no idea what you gonna start there...
Turkish   Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:51 pm GMT
Hey lil, no, there are no Greek speaking Turkish citizens in Istanbul or anywhere in Turkey.But there are Greek speaking Greeks in Turkey, especially in Izmir!I live in Izmir and my course is next to the free Greek course which has been opened by the government!
LAA   Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:58 pm GMT
Where in the hell are you getting this from? Greek is in no way a Slavic language. And the Greeks are no more Slavs than the Italians and Spanish are Germanic. They do have a touch of their ancestry due to historical developments, but they are not Slavs. They are not of Slavic culture, and they do not speak a Slavic language. If you mean they because they share the Orthodox religon with the Slavs, then you have it backwards my friend. It was the Greek Byzantines who spread Orthodox Christianity throughout the Slavic world, and it was they who transferred the church to Slavicdom. Byzantine missionaries introduced the cyrrylic alphabet to the Slavs as well, who were until then, an illiterate people. The Greeks are a south eastern European people, of mediterranean culture, and a Hellenic language. They're not Slavs, and they are not Arabs or Turks.
tim   Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:11 pm GMT
But modern greek still sounds slavic to me.
LAA   Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:25 pm GMT
Please Tim, tell us why you think this is the case. I am not trying to be sarcastic, as I am truly interested in how you could have possibly arrived at such an preposterous conclusion. In what way are the Greeks "Slavic"? Because I would never think of them as Slavs.
LAA   Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:26 pm GMT
Or you mean the language? How does Greek sound Slavic?
tim   Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:41 pm GMT
I mean the language.
LAA   Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:57 pm GMT
Okay, how is it Slavic?
tim   Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:28 pm GMT
I know greek (the language) does not belonge to the slavic family.It is unique.What i' m trying to say here is that when i hear greek i first have the impression that i hear a slavic balkan language, do you agree? How does it sound to you? Even portuguese sounds slavic to me.
LAA   Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:36 pm GMT
Okay, well i'm glad you at least know what you're talking about. Now that's clear, we can get down to the details.

Greek does not sound Slavic to my ears. What is your mother tounge? That might have something to with it, if youf first language is not indo-European.

But yes, there are some Romance languages like Romanian and Eu. Portuguese which sound a little like Slavic at times because of their phonologies. They still sound like Latin languages, but have certain aspects which resemble Slavic languages. That I can understand. But, I don't get this impression from Greek.
tim   Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:56 pm GMT
My mother tongue is albanian.