Celebration of the World Greek Language Day

On April 24th, the celebration of the World Greek Language Day took place at the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). On behalf of the Consulate General of Greece in Shanghai, the event was attended by the Consul General, Mr. Georgios Partheniou, the Head of the Public Diplomacy Office (PDO), and the Executive Secretary.

Prior to the event, the Consul General, in a meeting with the Rector of SISU, Mr. Li Yansong, referred to the close educational and cultural cooperation between China and Greece, and also underlined, in this context, the Consulate's long-standing support to the Department of Greek Studies.
Mr. Li Yansong, on his part, focused on the existing synergies-exchanges of the institution with Greek academic institutions. He highlighted the historical and cultural importance of the Greek language and thanked the Consul General for the assistance, over time, of the Consulate General to the SISU academic institution in supporting existing collaborations.

He also laid emphasis on the role of the Department of Greek Studies, including a brief review of its establishment.
Mr. Georgios Partheniou thanked the Rector and the academic staff for their contribution to the promotion of Hellenic Studies and referred, in turn, to the existing partnerships and further perspectives.
Then, in his speech on the importance of the Greek language, addressing, among others, the students of the Department of Greek Studies, the Consul General stressed out:
"February 9, the day of remembrance of our national poet, Dionysios Solomos, was established in 2017 as International Greek Language Day. Dionysios Solomos was a leading figure of modern Hellenism and author of the poem "Hymn to Freedom", the first two lines of which are the lyrics of the national anthem of Greece.
The Greek language is characterised by its well-documented history, its resilience and its deep influence on world culture. A language that has been alive for almost 40 centuries in its oral form and 35 centuries in its written form and is identified with Greek civilization, which has laid the foundations of modern science and culture in much of the world [...]".
A presentation was given also by the Head of the Public Diplomacy Office on the contemporary dimensions of the importance of the Greek language in the context of computational and artificial intelligence and, more generally, of modern science. The presentation of the importance of the Greek language was based on three axes, such as the importance of the etymology of newly introduced terms in modern science, the power of its logical schemes, such as binary logic, and the conceptual frameworks (‘motion’, robotics) that it also offers.
Furthermore, an inspiring speech was delivered by the dean of the School of European and Latin American Studies.

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