The worst response has been a polite smile. However, even though it’s hard to get the rolling “r” right and remember the Greek “p” sounds like the English “r,” there’s a good chance that - no matter how you say a Greek word - the person you’re interacting with in Greece will be appreciative of the effort.Īt least in my experience as a tourist, I’ve found most Greeks to be very receptive when I’ve attempted to speak the language. FYI: All those fraternity and sorority names don’t do anyone any favors when it comes to pronunciation!
So I’ll admit that taking virtual Greek lessons has made me realize just how challenging learning the language would be. Photo of Greece in the 80s | Photo courtesy of Marika PriceĪlthough I’m a Greek American, until recently I only knew a few Greek words - most of which were names of (delicious) food. Some studies even deem it to be one of the more difficult languages to pick up for English speakers, up there with Russian and Finnish. It’s no question that Greek is an influential and complex language. Plus, reports show that more than 40,000 English words are derived from Greek, which is about a quarter of the words in the English dictionary.
Greek City Times reports that while only 600,000 Greek words are used today, that’s still about 3.5 times the English vocabulary. But beyond the beautiful scenery and licorice-like alcohol, what continues to humble me most about Greece is the language.įor one, Greek has an extremely rich vocabulary, clocking in about five million words and 70 million word types. Either way, I’m so excited for you because there’s something special about the country known for olives, ouzo, and sea views that are even prettier than they look in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. If you’re reading this it’s likely because you’re going to Greece or it’s on your bucket list.