ZBORNIK - Matica srpska

Language
The reception of ideas and values is the one aspect of the contribution
of Hellenism to modern civilization. The second one is
Greek language. 'Language' is the vehicle of thinking. Correct language
means correctness of thought. Greek played through Latin a
primary role in the formation and development of modern European
languages; for instance, kal3 — clamo in Latin-call (in English),
kardiÀ — cor — cordis (in Latin) — cordial (French and English),
klÀw, klÀsij, klÀsma — classis (in Latin) — class (in English),
baånw — vado (in Latin) — convention (in English), bo3, bo0 —
voco (Latin), voce (Italian) — voice (English), maånomai, manåa —
mania — maniac, maenad, kybern% — guberno, govern, ýra —
hora — hour.
Greek vocabulary, in particular, but also its morphology, structure
and its literary genres have spread in European languages
already since Byzantine period. According to the conclusions drawn
in the most recent History of Greek language by the eminent Spanish
classical scholar and lexicographer F.R. Adrados (Madrid 1999,
Greek transl. 2002), until the 16 th century Greek words were entering
the vocabularies of main European languages through Latin.
After the 16 th century, they were adopted directly from Greek texts.
Greek language offered not only integral words, but also various
elements, such as roots, prefixes, suffixes, compounds and derivatives,
which produced new words. Therefore, as Prof. Adrados
underlined, European languages, such as French, English, Italian,
Spanish and German are 'cryptohellenic' (kryptoellhnikçj). In the
Middle Ages, French vocabulary was enriched with Greek words
and English received Greek words through French, in particular
after the Norman occupation. From the 15 th to the 18 th century, the
zeal of Renaissance and of the Age of the Enlightenment for Greek
Antiquity reinforced the reception of Greek terms.
The ecumenical dimension of Hellenic language is tremendous.
Its influence on the vocabulary of the main European languages and
especially on the terminology of Science and Technology is indisputable.
To limit ourselves to English: according to a recent and widely
approved research in English vocabulary and international scientific
terminology, Greek words reach the amazing number of two hundred
thirty four thousand eight hundred sixty six. For instance, in
Botany the reception of Greek vocabulary used in identical, integrated
from reaches approximately sixty per cent, in Technology forty-
-five per cent, in Medicine fifty-four per cent and in Zoology
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