A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity

This book provides the most comprehensive account of the history of the Greek language from its beginnings to late antiquity. In this revised and expanded translation of the Greek original published in 2001, a distinguished international team of scholars goes beyond a merely technical treatment of the subject by examining the language’s relationship with politics, society and culture. An attempt is made to cover all aspects of the history of Greek, including those that are usually considered marginal, such as obscene language, the language of the gods and child talk. Other topics which receive particular emphasis are language contact and translation practices in antiquity. The book’s clear organisation and concise chapters make it highly readable and accessible to non-specialists, and the text is supported by example passages from primary sources and numerous informative illustrations. It is an essential reference work for all those interested in the history of Greek.

• The most comprehensive study of the history of the Greek language made available for the first time in English • An internationally distinguished team of scholars explores the language from both linguistic and sociohistorical perspectives • The clear organisation, concise chapters, example passages from primary sources and numerous illustrations make the volume highly readable and accessible to non-specialists

Introduction: Part I. The Language Phenomenon; Part II. The Greek Language: Language and History; Part III. The Ancient Greek Dialects; Part IV. Ancient Greek: Structure and Change; Part V. Greek in Contact with Other Languages; Part VI. Translation Practices in Antiquity; Part VII. Language and Civilization; Part VIII. The Ancient Greeks and Language; Part IX. The Fortunes of Ancient Greek.