The Codification of Modern Greek Language
Clicks: 2
ID: 318164
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This
article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score —
reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
Reader Engagement
Emerging Content
0.3
/100
2 views
1 readers
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
EmergingRanked #1,360 of 1,518 articles by views in Oxford University Press eBooks
Most read
Least read
Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 1,518 in total.
Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet mintedCreate a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.
5
SUSD
one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Abstract From ancient times, and especially with an attitude of reverence for the classical Greek language during a time of major changes, Greek for centuries has shown significant stylistic differences between a learnèd, formal, or “high” variety and a more colloquial, informal, or “low” variety. These differences affected all domains of the language: sounds, grammar, and vocabulary. These differences continued through medieval Greek and into modern times but became institutionalized and politicized in the time around the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the founding of the modern Greek nation state and were present throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These differences created a modern situation known as “diglossia,” the coexistence of functionally distinct forms of the language, giving the so-called “language question”—in Greek, το γλωσσικό ζήτημα—a controversy over which form of the language is considered more appropriate as the national language and thus the language of education, government business, and higher discourse. In pitting proponents of the “high” variety (καθαρεύουσα or “puristic” Greek), against advocates of the “low” variety (δημοτική or “demotic” Greek), the language question has been a significant aspect of the Greek sociolinguistic scene. This chapter discusses Greek diglossia from both a modern synchronic perspective, regarding its consequences for Greek society, and a diachronic perspective, examining the historical bases giving this situation. The story told here of modern Greek’s codification and standardization is the story of the language question and the interaction between καθαρεύουσα and δημοτική.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7165515383
Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using
SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Brian D. Joseph |
| Journal | Oxford University Press eBooks |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197759523.013.0045
|
| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
Citations
No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.