Etymology of the word “multilingual”

The word “multilingual” in modern Greek means the speaker or the linguistic community that has the ability to use more than two languages ​​and etymologically comes from the composition of the words: πολύς + γλῶσσα or γλῶττα. In English the corresponding word is “polyglot”.

The words glossa and glotta have exactly the same meaning. In modern Greek the “language” prevailed in the compound word “multilingual”, while in English, Spanish, French and German we find, as it seems, the word “glotta” in the compound word “polyglot”. But where did the change from double -ss- to double -tt- come about?

The origin of words

When we speak of ancient Greek, we do not speak of a common language, but of dialects of one language. The dialectal separation of (ancient) Greek is generally considered to be the result of population movements during the geometric era (11th-8th BC).

One of the dialects was Ionian, which was the language of the Ionians, who during the 2nd century .Χ. millennium were located in extensive parts of southern southern Greece. The Attic dialect on the other hand, dates from the 5th century BC. The colonies founded by Alexander the Great and his successors also had this form of Greek as a common dialect.

The evolution of Greek language

The wide spread of the Attic dialect, among the Greeks and then among the foreigners, resulted in a change of its pronunciation and the simplification of its morphology. Many of the Greeks who adopted this dialect were of Ionic origin, which gave the common Attic dialect a pronounced Ionic hue. The double -ττ- of the Attic dialect arises from the form of the double -σ- of the Ionian and Alexandrian Common (γλῶττα: γλῶσσα, θάλαττα: θάλασσα, μελιττα: μελισσα).

Lucian’s artistic feature

It is worth mentioning here the orator and satirical writer Lucianos, who was born in 120 BC. in Syria and wrote all his works in the Attic dialect. The author in question in his work “Trial of Pacts”, which is a parody of a trial, presents the letter S addressed to the vowels – judges, expressing his indignation at the injustice committed by the letter T against him.

According to the letter S, his rights are violated by the letter T, every time in a word the double -σ- is replaced by the double -ττ-. Lucian’s speech ends with the worst incriminating element for T. This letter gave the idea of ​​the shape of the wooden cross on which tyrants crucify people.

Modern times

It is a fact, however, that in the Modern Greek language there are still examples that show the alternation of these two double chords. The word “language” forms the word “linguistics” which defines the scientific study of language, human speech, the study of elements related to the origin, structure and evolution of languages. While the word “glotta” gives us the word “eloquent” which characterizes the person who speaks nicely and therefore convincingly.

Discover the secret Greek words that have influenced European languages for centuries through our eBook, here.

 

Source

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[1]: greek-language.gr

 

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