Cyprus-Forum.com

[bill cobbett]

Spent a few days in Athens a couple of years ago. I was very worried that I wouldn't get by with my pretty bad conversational CY dialect, but I managed OK. Spent some time on Rhodes and a couple of other gr islands where the locals spoke something pretty close to the CY dialect.

If in doubt remember the golden rule for converting CY to GR - just add -aki to the end of words!

.... except for angouraki, for some obscure reason

Sorry O. but I must have my roots in some really backwoods villages and we call cucumbers ankouri (singular) and ankouria (plural) so the - aki rule still sort of applies.

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..bill c. ...kept out of the north by bad vocabulary

OK ...... this is serious!

You are 100% Cypriot, I am 50% Cypriot + 50% Greek ..... we are in dispute ..... clearly we need someone who is 100% Greek to invigilate.

What is Greek for cucumber?

Angouri I've got in my Greek dictionary, if it's any help!!

Thanks Xybadog ...... but in times of crises such as this, dictionaries are the last resort ... has to be "word of mouth" ....

There is only one person who can sort this out. We need the scientifically accepted genetic standard type for the Cypriot genome and nation. Put out a call for GR.

Wrong end of the spectrum ... GR! is 100% Cypriot ... if he gets wind of this assertion of yours bill c. ... you are dead British-Cypriot meat ..... we need the likes of AlexISS ...... because adding aki to the ends of words is not for the likes of Cypriots like GR! ...... failing a 100% Greek, then Piratis is well respected ... but does not get involved with the likes of us

We are in deepest Africa!

Is it cos I'm black ? Is it cos I drink Thames water from a tap ?

[Oracle]

Spent a few days in Athens a couple of years ago. I was very worried that I wouldn't get by with my pretty bad conversational CY dialect, but I managed OK. Spent some time on Rhodes and a couple of other gr islands where the locals spoke something pretty close to the CY dialect.

If in doubt remember the golden rule for converting CY to GR - just add -aki to the end of words!

.... except for angouraki, for some obscure reason

Sorry O. but I must have my roots in some really backwoods villages and we call cucumbers ankouri (singular) and ankouria (plural) so the - aki rule still sort of applies.

-----

..bill c. ...kept out of the north by bad vocabulary

OK ...... this is serious!

You are 100% Cypriot, I am 50% Cypriot + 50% Greek ..... we are in dispute ..... clearly we need someone who is 100% Greek to invigilate.

What is Greek for cucumber?

Angouri I've got in my Greek dictionary, if it's any help!!

Thanks Xybadog ...... but in times of crises such as this, dictionaries are the last resort ... has to be "word of mouth" ....

There is only one person who can sort this out. We need the scientifically accepted genetic standard type for the Cypriot genome and nation. Put out a call for GR.

Wrong end of the spectrum ... GR! is 100% Cypriot ... if he gets wind of this assertion of yours bill c. ... you are dead British-Cypriot meat ..... we need the likes of AlexISS ...... because adding aki to the ends of words is not for the likes of Cypriots like GR! ...... failing a 100% Greek, then Piratis is well respected ... but does not get involved with the likes of us

We are in deepest Africa!

Is it cos I'm black ? Is it cos I drink Thames water from a tap ?

Listen billaki cobbettaki ... it ain't none of those .... it's just saladaki etiquette. So drink your neraki like a good pedaki ..... before we say kalinihtaki .....

[Xybadog]

I noticed, while were on the subject of words, that when I was in Athens they used "Anglika", but when I was in Rhodes 18 months ago they used it without the "n". What is it in GC?

[bill cobbett]

Hello everyone!

I am trying to learn Greek and just have a few questions I am hoping you bright lot can help me with!

Firstly, can a Greek (say from Athens) understand a Greek Cypriot, and vice versa? Basically, are the Attic and Cypriot dialects mutually intelligible?

Also, can a native Greek speaker really understand ancient Greek, i.e. that used to write the New Testament?

Thanks guys in advance!

I am fascinated by the Greek language and look forward to your replies!

Something I came across a while ago is that ancient written greek was written left to right and then the next line right to left, the next left to right and so on and to make things even more difficult - no spaces between words.

[DT.]

aggouraki re stroumfakia.

[alexISS]

Wrong end of the spectrum ... GR! is 100% Cypriot ... if he gets wind of this assertion of yours bill c. ... you are dead British-Cypriot meat ..... we need the likes of AlexISS ...... because adding aki to the ends of words is not for the likes of Cypriots like GR! ...... failing a 100% Greek, then Piratis is well respected ... but does not get involved with the likes of us

We are in deepest Africa!

Hi Oracle,

the word is "Αγγούρι" but I would most probably call the Cypriot cucumber "Αγγουράκι" because it's much smaller than ours, after all, "ακι" is used to give a diminutive meaning

[alexISS]

Hello everyone!

I am trying to learn Greek and just have a few questions I am hoping you bright lot can help me with!

Firstly, can a Greek (say from Athens) understand a Greek Cypriot, and vice versa? Basically, are the Attic and Cypriot dialects mutually intelligible?

Also, can a native Greek speaker really understand ancient Greek, i.e. that used to write the New Testament?

Thanks guys in advance!

I am fascinated by the Greek language and look forward to your replies!

Something I came across a while ago is that ancient written greek was written left to right and then the next line right to left, the next left to right and so on and to make things even more difficult - no spaces between words.

That form of writing was called "Βουστροφηδόν" and it was rarely used, mostly on wall inscriptions.
Btw, the new Testament was not written in ancient but in "Hellenistic" Greek (also called koine Greek), which is between ancient and modern Greek and easier to read and understand

[Oracle]

Wrong end of the spectrum ... GR! is 100% Cypriot ... if he gets wind of this assertion of yours bill c. ... you are dead British-Cypriot meat ..... we need the likes of AlexISS ...... because adding aki to the ends of words is not for the likes of Cypriots like GR! ...... failing a 100% Greek, then Piratis is well respected ... but does not get involved with the likes of us

We are in deepest Africa!

Hi Oracle,

the word is "Αγγούρι" but I would most probably call the Cypriot cucumber "Αγγουράκι" because it's much smaller than ours, after all, "ακι" is used to give a diminutive meaning

Hello AlexISS

So that one is the only exception to the -aki rule as I recall .... I've never understood why?

[alexISS]

Wrong end of the spectrum ... GR! is 100% Cypriot ... if he gets wind of this assertion of yours bill c. ... you are dead British-Cypriot meat ..... we need the likes of AlexISS ...... because adding aki to the ends of words is not for the likes of Cypriots like GR! ...... failing a 100% Greek, then Piratis is well respected ... but does not get involved with the likes of us

We are in deepest Africa!

Hi Oracle,

the word is "Αγγούρι" but I would most probably call the Cypriot cucumber "Αγγουράκι" because it's much smaller than ours, after all, "ακι" is used to give a diminutive meaning

Hello AlexISS

So that one is the only exception to the -aki rule as I recall .... I've never understood why?

Because there's no such rule.

[alexISS]

Sotos, you say that the Athenian will need to make an effort, but can I presume from this that he will understand the Cypriot well enough to hold a conversation? Or will the conversation simply break down due to misunderstandings?

By my experience it will break down. Words used every day in Cypriot are completely foreign to Greeks. (Thoro...instead of Vlepo. Vourro...instead of treho)

It will break down if the Cypriot wants it to, sometimes you bastards do it on purpose