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It's all Greek to me... I mean JapaneseMay 08 '01 (Updated May 30 '01) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line You can safely and comfortably travel in Greece with no knowledge of Greek but some phrases help you show respect which may possibly get you friendlier service. When traveling in Greece you really don't need to speak Greek. Most people, especially those working in tourist/travel related jobs and most young people speak sufficient English. And people may at first appear rude, but in fact they are very warm, friendly, and helpful. However, as part of a traveler's glossary for Greece, there are a few things worth knowing. One of those is that most people will really appreciate you at least trying to use some Greek in very obvious situations (like greeting and saying thank you). Another thing is that Greeks use quite a bit of non-verbal communication in their language. In this epinion I'll do the following: I'll start with a list of sounds that do not have corresponding letters in English (although they may have corresponding sounds) and some notes about my transcription. Then I will give you a glossary divided into the following categories: politeness, tourist needs, and emergencies. I will include non-verbal explanations as well as literal translations where necessary. I hope this helps. Greek Sounds There are only 4 sounds I can think of that we do not have letters for in English, two of which we do not have in English at all: * 'dh' and 'th' may not have corresponding letters in English, but they do exist in our language: 1. dh - in Greek this sound is represented with the delta. It is just like the th in then. 2. th - in Greek this sound is represented by the letter theta, which looks like an "O" with a horizontal line through it. It sounds just like th in thin * 'gh' and 'kh' don't exist as sounds in English at all, but are probably sounds you've heard before: 3. gh - this, in Greek, is represented by the letter gamma. Of the sounds you may be familiar with it probably most closely resembles a French "R". In phonology this sound is called a voiced velar fricative. 4. kh - (in Greek it is written as 'x') is like the ch in Bach if you pronounced it correctly. This sound is made in the same place in the back of the throat as k, but it allows airflow at the same time. In phonology it is called a voiceless velar fricative. The "R" in Greek is also different from English. It is a trill like in Russian. I can't make that sound at all so I can't really tell you any more about this sound. Transcription matters: I will use capital letters for the vowels that hold the main stress in a word (e.g., Elephant, hOspital, tEAcher, cabarEt). In cases where a stressed "i" follows an "l" I'll write the "L" in capitals so that you can tell the difference between them ("LI" is easier to read than "lI"). I'll stick in my transcription to English pronunciation (so "y", for example, is the sound it represents in "yes" or "you") and I'll attempt to do the same for vowels: 1. "oo" will be used for the sound that ou represents in you and oo represents in food (I didn't use the letter "u" for this because it's difficult for English speakers to disassociate it from the pronunciation like in "luck") 2. "i" is like the ea in mean (resist wanting to make it the sound like in like or the sound like in bit) 3. "a" in Greek is like the first a in mama (resist wanting to make it like the a in apple) 4. "o" is like the oa in board (resist making it like the o in some or in hog) 5. "e" is like the e in the name Ed (resist wanting to make it sound like the name of the letter "E") When reading the terms below make sure you read every sound and resist reading it like it was an English word. For example, the word for sorry is signOmi which should not be read as the English word "sign" followed by "ami". Politeness A few phrases to know to win the hearts of waiters and shop owners 1. Hi/hello: YA soo (sg.) YA sas (pl. or formal) Literally this means "health to you" where soo means 'you' singular and sas means 'you' plural; this is a good time to mention that when you want to show extreme politeness (usually to someone older than you) you use the plural form. This form of address is not as insisted upon in Greece as it is in other cultures, so don't worry about using singular with everyone. Also, this term is what the Greeks use in place of "cheers" when they make a toast (that is when drinking). 2. Thank you: efkharistO It is a bit difficult for English speakers to put the stress on the final syllable of such a long word. Don't worry if your pronunciation of this word is terrible however, the fact that you even tried to say it in Greek will be appreciated in most cases. To say "thank you very much" you add "poLI" (literally 'a lot') after the word: efcharistO poLI By the way, there is a certain move of the head that means thank you. It's the tiniest of bows along with a move of the head slightly to the side. Hard to explain, but you'll see it around. 3. You're welcome: parakalO In case you're wondering what the Greeks are mumbling after you thank them. Incidentally, this also means "please". 4. Sorry: signOmi I lived in Greece for several months before I ever heard anyone use this word. 5. Good morning: kalimEra This means literally "good day". The Greeks love to greet each other for the start of all things. At the start of every month, for example, they'll go around wishing each other "kaLI mIna" which means "good month". 6. Goodnight: kalinIkhta Greeks discuss times in the day differently than we do. There's morning, which is followed by midday (around 11 to 4pm or so), followed by evening, followed by night. 7. Goodbye: Ade ya Yes, this is the same 'ya' from the word hello 8. Bon appetit: kaLI Oreksi Not a term we use much in English (don't even really have one do we? Have to borrow from the French) but in Greece it is said before every meal. Your waiter will probably wish you this when he brings you your order at a taverna. You should answer with a thank you. Tourist Needs A few phrases that may come in handy in your travels 1. how much (does it cost): pOso kAni? Literally this means 'how much'. Just point at anything and say this. If your pronunciation is too good they may answer in Greek. In that case raise your hand and ask again showing you want them to answer by holding up the number of fingers. Always worked for me. 2. check please: na plirOsoome? Literally this means "shall we pay?". You can also catch a waiter's attention and make a motion with your hand like you're writing something and they'll know you want the check. The word for "bill" or "check" or "tab" is logharyasmO. 3. what is this: ti inE aftO? You can use this also as "what's going on here?" 4. no: Okhi The non-verbal way of saying it almost always accompanies the word itself, and quite often Greeks will just do the motion instead of saying the word. The motion is moving your head back (sort of raising your chin for a second). This can be really subtle (sometimes just rolling the eyes back a bit) or extreme (moving your entire upper body back for emphasis). If some salesperson (e.g., waiter at a sidewalk café or somebody looking to rent their rooms on an island) targets you and won't leave you alone saying "Ochi" along with the correct body language will let them know you're not a naïve tourist and that they should leave you alone. 5. yes: ne The body language for this is to move your head diagonally down and to the side (very similar to the motion for "thank you" in fact; it is very hard to tell you the difference in words). There is another word for "yes": mAlista. It has certain uses that I'm not 100% sure of. You may hear it so it's worth knowing it means "yes", but you don't need to use it instead of ne. 6. do you speak English: milAs aglikA? Or "milAte aglikA" for formal or plural cases. 7. I don't speak Greek: dhen milAo elenikA Learn this if nothing else. Sometimes it's quicker to explain in Greek that you don't speak it than to show you really don't speak it by not knowing how to say this in Greek. Yea, think about it. Not logical is it? But it's true. 8. phone answering: If you call somewhere in Greece they are most likely to answer with either "ebrOs" (a standard phone answering word) or "ne" ("yes"). That's where you use either number 6 or 7 above. 9. It's all Greek to me: Ine san yaponEzika Literally "it's like Japanese". Emergency stuff One important thing to scream if the occasion presents itself help: voIthya To tell the truth, I think you're better off just speaking English in emergencies because it is important that you are understood.  |
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