migration of words the influence of the greek language leonhard-wagner-gymnasium schwabmünchen
TRANSCRIPT
Migration of Words
The Influence of the Greek Language
Leonhard-Wagner-Gymnasium Schwabmünchen
Words and ideas travel – they influence other languages, they enrich societies and cultures.
The influence of the Greek language on other European languages is
huge. There are many words that are used in a similar form in several
languages.
Rhythmus geography
gráfico sembol horoscop
autorytet
phénomène
monarkia matematica atmosfär
Greek is the oldest European language. Both the Latin alphabet,
which is used in central and northern Europe, and the cyrillic
alphabet of most Eastern European languages are derived from Greek.
α β γ δ εa b c d e
а б г д е
Ancient Greece with its writers, philosphers and artists was seen as a model and an ideal society by many
people, so terms for new discoveries, inventions and ideas have often been
created from Greek words.
Words like “theatre” are very old, since theatrical traditions in
Greece can be traced back to the sixth century BC.
On the other hand the word “helicopter” was only introduced in
the late 19th century.
Here are some of the Greek words that can be found in all the
languages spoken in the countries participating in our Comenius Project
“Travelling – The Way to Europe“
cathedral
katedral
Kathedrale
catedrală
katedra
cathédrale catedral
from Greek kathedra (seat, bench) from kata (down) + hedra (seat/
base/chair) the seat of a bishop
automobile
otomobil
Automobil
automobil
automobil
automobile automóvil
from Greek auto (self/same) and Latin mobilis (movable)
thermometre
termometre
Thermometer
termometru
termometr
thermomètre termómetro
from Greek thermo (warm) and meter (to measure)
democracy
demokrasi
Demokratie
democraţie
democracja
démocratie democracia
from Greek dêmos (people) and krátos (power/force)
mathematics
matematik
Mathematik
matematică
matematyca
mathématique matematicafrom Greek máthēma (to
learn/to study)
telephone
telefon
Telefon
telefon
telefon
téléphone teléfono
from Greek tele (far off) and phoné (sound/voice)
microphone
mikrofon
Mikrofon
microfon
mikrofon
microphone micrófono
from Greek mikrós (small) and phoné (sound/voice)
atmosphere
atmosfer
Atmosphäre
atmosferă
atmosfera
atmosphère atmósferafrom Greek atmos (vapor) and
sphiara (ball)
helicopter
helikopter
Helikopter
elicopter
helikopter
hélicoptère elicopter
from Greek helix (spiral/turning) and pteron (wing)