Society

Language
Modern Greek derives from the same idiom used by Homer and other renowned Greek poets and writers more than 3,000 years ago. Greek was the language of the Gospels and has made a major contribution to all western languages. It is considered one of the oldest languages. Thousands of English words come from the Greek language, sometimes via the Roman adaptation into Latin and then to English.

The Greek Alphabet
Α α Alpha
Β β Beta
Γ γ Gamma
Δ δ Delta
Ε ε Epsilon
Ζ ζ Zeta
Η η Eta
Θ θ Theta
Ι ι Iota
Κ κ Kappa
Λ λ Lambda
Μ μ Mu
Ν ν Nu
Ξ ξ Xi
Ο ο Omicron
Π π Pi
Ρ ρ Rho
Σ σ Sigma
Τ τ Tau
Υ υ Upsilon
Φ φ Phi
Χ χ Chi
Ψ ψ Psi
Ω ω Omega

Learning Greek
The Greek language can be studied through courses offered in Greek universities, state-run institutions, summer schools, private schools and online programs, all of them contributing to the fostering and promotion of Greek language within and outside Greece, offering at the same time an invaluable insight of Greek culture.

• The “Alexander the Great" Hellenic Language School offers courses to foreigners with either business or scientific orientation. The school has branches in Thessaloniki and Chania in Greece, in Sophia and Philipoupolis (Plovdiv), Bulgaria, in Skopjie, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Tirana, Albania.

• The Modern Greek Language Teaching Center of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens offers teaching courses of Modern Greek as a foreign language.

• Seasonal language courses are offered by the Institute of Balkan Studies (IMXA), in Thessaloniki.

• The State Scholarships Foundation (I.K.Y.) grants scholarships for postgraduate or postdoctoral studies in Greece to all foreigners as well as scholarships for the attendance of lessons and seminars of Modern Greek Language and Culture.

• DIAS International Academic Studies is a non-profit organization dedicated to making the necessary arrangements for students from all over the world to attend accredited summer courses at Greek universities. Students are given the opportunity to feel the timeless legacy of Greece and study the roots of the Western Civilization at its birthplace.

For more on learning Greek in Greece check http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/culture/learn_greek_language

Foreign languages education is widespread. The proportion of people who can speak English well enough to take part in a conversation has increased in Greece significantly (37%, 2nd in EU ranking). In 2006, a Special Euro-barometer survey indicated that 57% of Greeks claimed to speak one foreign language (at least at a conversational level), and 19% two languages.