Bert wrote:I don't think Latin is as old a language as Greek is, is it? Is it not possible that some Latin vocabulary derived direcrtly from Greek rather than from a common parent?
edit: I guess then it is likely called a loan-word.
It depends on what you mean: the written, codified Latin language is later than Greek, but people still spoke Latin before. Languages aren't made suddenly.
A lot of Latin words derived from Greek (e.g. philosophia, ecclesia, ipotheca), like from other languages (from Gallic: bracae, lancia; from pre-indoreupean languages e.g. Alpes). It happens to Greek too - e.g. labyrinthos - and to most languages (e.g. in Italian bistecca from beef steak etc.), but like Italian doesn't derived from English, so Latin doesn't come from Greek.
Generally speaking (I am not addressing to you Bert
), I really do not like nationalism, maybe here in Italy we had too much rethorical speeches about "we-are-the-heirs-of-Romans" only seventy years ago.
As Europeans (including all the modern civilizations of European origin) we have a big debt towards Greek culture. In many ways, we are still Greeks ourselves. We cannot fully understand our poets, our philosophy, our maths, in one word, our culture without the Greek one; and I would add: without the Latin one as well. Moreover, as Italian I feel a stronger Greek legacy; in some parts of the country people still speak Greek, like the heel of Italy, the Salento where I've been two years ago and I had the honour and privilege to listen the old beautiful language.
Again, the modern Greece has vibrant and interesting culture, even the populare one (by the way why they don't sell the show "Ta hellados paideia" abroad?).
Such nationalistic Portokalos' idea that everything comes from Greek, make a parody of our great inheritance and, even if it can give us some hilarious time, I think it is dangerous for the Greeks themselves.
Regards
Misopon
a Greek (like most of you)
(Actually, Dutch has so many dialects that some jest the Tower of Babel must have been in the Netherlands.)
