is there a language similar to Greek..?

Question

i want to learn a 2nd language but i want to learn something close to the Greek language... i heard Greek language is like Armenian or something... but i thought Greek is from cyrilic since it looks like Russian and English letters.....

Answer 1

Cyrillic and English/Latin script actually came from the Greek script and not the other way around.



There is no language similar to Greek, Greek language occupies a whole brunch of the Indoeuropean Languages on its own, being the most ancient language STILL spoken in the European Continent. Armenian has NO CONNECTION to Greek language, but it is also a very old language and it also occupies a separate brunch of the Indoeuropean Languages, the same happens with the Albanian language (one of the most ancient in the Balkans).



There isn't a language mutually intelligible with Greek or with strong similarities, like it happens with Italian, Spanish and French language.



I want to ask if you are a Greek, then Italian language is the most similar to Greek and by far the easiest to learn.

Many words of Latin and Greek origin are the same or almost the same, while the Italian accent is the easiest for a Greek, according to my opinion and experience.

Answer 2

I saw a documentary some years ago about Tsakonian. Some say it's just an extreme dialect of Modern Greek, others say that it should be considered its own language. Arguments can be made for both sides.



From a practical point of view, there are very few people who speak Tsakonian, and so there isn't much reason to learn it, unless you want to show off that you know some uber-obscure language.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsakonian_language

Answer 3

The most similar is Armenian as it indo europan and comes from grecco macedonian brannch

Answer 4

Greek is an indo-european language and being the oldest European language still in use, it influenced most of the other languages (English, Italian, Spanish...), especially for scientifical and medical terms.

Unfortunately for you no language resembles the Greek language, because it evolved on its own, it's unique.

Studying Latin may help you though, especially for grammar. Russian isn't related to Greek in any way, except maybe for some letters, which were invented by two famous Greek monks in the Middle Ages, Cyril and Methodius. Armenian isn't even indo-european I believe.



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Greek Goddess is right about the pronounciation, if you speak a good Spanish (Spain's Spanish, not Latin America's which is slightly different), you may be able to pronounce Greek in a better way, but the languages are different.

The most difficult sounds of the Greek language for a foreigner are:

χ: pronounced like 'ch' in German in 'nicht'

γ: pronounced similarly to 'r' in French, e.g. 'français'

δ: pronounced like 'th' in English in 'there'

θ: pronounced like 'th' in English in 'think'

Answer 5

You are wrong! Greek doesnt come from Cyrillic, Cyrillic comes from Greek, it is an offshoot of the Greek Alphabet. Alphabet comes from the first 2 letters (alpha, beta) Anyways Greek is a unique language, it had and continues to have a great influence in vocabulary and lexicons. Due to its unique ability to combine 2 or 3 words to achieve the meaning of one like phycho(soul)-logy(study). The Greek language although Indo - European, it belongs to the Hellenic family and you cant find another language belonging there. Although PHONETICALLY many people confuse it with Latin languages (most commonly Spanish) due to the fast speed, exceeding use of vowels and the rolling of the r. In New York, soooo many people ask me if the language i just spoke is Spanish or something close to it because Greek sounds very 'fast' to them LOLL it took me by surprise at first because those languages are different.

Answer 6

Vasiliki and Zoi are right. The Hellenic branch of the Indo-European language tree shows Greek by itself without direct relation to other languages.

Answer 7

No.I dont think so.

Greek is a unique language.

Even if its an Indo-European language, still, It doesn't belong to any of the sub-groups, its an independant branch of Indo-european languages on its own.



What you heard, is that the grammar system of Greek and Armenian (early Armenian) looked similar.



btw, Greece is the oldest surving continious spoken language :)



@Fyromians are DYING from jealousy,LOL.

Answer 8

The closest language to Greek is English.

30% of English vocabulary has Greek words.



(BTW Cyrillic alphabet is based on the Greek alphabet not the opposite.

Cyrillic was formalized by 2 Greek monks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius)

Answer 9

To compare Greek and Latin is just like saying Malaysian language are close to Brazilian.Totally out of time and space.

The closest language to Greek are Armenian,Russian,Aglosaxon and Germanic.

The German gramatic system is closest to Greek than anybody.

Russian language is pretty close in Greek and the Cyrillic alphabet as well.

Aglosaxon off course cause most English words are of Greek origin.

And finally Armenian.

But i would consider Greek as a UNIQUE language.

To compare Albanian and Greek again is like saying Chinese language is Ainu.

Again wrong and abnormal.











Now about Greek culture.

Greek culture is closest to Slavic,Iranian and Lebanese culture.

Believe it or not is close to Chinese as well.

I mean the last i said from personal observation.

Greek culture is more like Asiatic culture not so ''European''.

















Greeks on Athens speak the official Greek language.

In Epirus they speak a Slavogreek language the Vlach.

In Macedonia (the original one not the fake wannabe one)

they speak the Greek Macedonian a brunch of Greek language and Pontic Greek.

In Thrace,they speak Thracian.

In Thessaly they speak a language close to Vlach.

In Peloponnese they speak Peloponnese nothing to do with Albanians.

In Ionian sea they speak Eptanesian.

In Aegean sea it depends where you living.

In Crete,Cretan.

In Cyprus,Cypriot.









The easiest language according to Greeks is the German one.

The easiest accent the French.

Answer 10

ummm ..no greek is extremely unique language in writing and grammar.. many peopel mistake cyrillic for greek as they have borrowed some letters fromt he greek alphabet.. latin is only similar as far as many words where copied by the latins..and latin words have thier source in the greek language,armeian is unique in its self but nothing like greek.. the closets thign u coem to the greek laungage is in cyprus as they speak an ancient form of greek but speak todays modern greek as well.. greek is a very diffucult launge to muster ..u have to have patience and a good ear for pronuncitation and its grammar is extremely huge....i would suggest u try to learn spanish as secodn language it is a latin based laungage or romanesque...and its quiet easy to pick up...

Answer 11

I'm not sure of a language that's 'similar' to Greek... Latin is not very similar at all...^ Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Answer 12

Greeks on Peloponnese speak Albanian.

Answer 13

Ethiopian tribes have the similar language to Greek.

Answer 14

Ethiopian group of languages.

Answer 15

Ethiopian.

Cyrillic is Macedonian, not Greek. We are Ethiopians aka Abyssinian.

Answer 16

Ethiopian. We are very close to them, genetically, morphologically, same religion...

Answer 17

Albanian.

Answer 18

erm...Latin? I believe its similar...