General information
Greek Linguistics: An introduction to the historical linguistics of Ancient and Medieval Greek (December 1-2, 2025)
The course aims to provide an overview of various methods of linguistic research applied to the Greek language, with an emphasis on diachronic and non-conventional perspectives. Students will be introduced to a range of approaches (e.g., discourse analysis, dialectology, metalinguistics, sociolinguistics, and semiotics) and to a wide variety of texts, from Greek literary and historical dialects to Late Antique and early Byzantine papyri, spanning authors from Homer to John Tzetzes and early modern Greek writers. The course combines short lectures with collective practical exercises led by the instructors. Participants are expected to have at least the ability to read Greek script and a basic familiarity with linguistic terminology. However, particular attention—especially during the hands-on sessions—will be given to adapting the activities to the diverse academic backgrounds and competencies of the participants.
Students will be required to read an article and complete an exercise (approximately 1 hour) in preparation for each of the five lessons.
Lecturers, Topics, and Pre-class Materials
dr. Dalia Pratali Maffei: Greek Dialects in the Archaic and Classical Ages: Sociolinguistic Approaches
Abstract: Ancient Greek dialects do not only attest regional variation, but they were also employed in different contexts and with different purposes. This lecture explores dialect usage from a sociolinguistic perspective, in particular dialect variation in relation to registers, literary genres, and styles, and how usages changed diachronically. One case study will be tackled in-depth, with close text reading and in-class exercises: dialect variation in daily speech through Aristophane’s comedy. This example will show that dialect choices appeared to index not only the provenance of speakers, but attitudes towards specific peoples and in-group identities across age groups and social classes.
Preparatory readings:
TBA
dr. Eleonora Cattafi: Morphosyntactic variation in context: views from Post-Classical Greek
Abstract: This session aims to explore the interaction between contextual factors and linguistic patterns, with a focus on morphosyntactic variation. Starting from the specificity of what counts as a morphosyntactic variable, it will highlight the aspects that affect the choice between competing constructions. These may involve functional oppositions, but also socially motivated forms of variation. In this sense, Post-Classical Greek, with its abundant evidence across different social strata and communicative situations, offers a particularly rich environment for observing such dynamics from a historical sociolinguistic perspective.
Preparatory readings:
TBA
dr. Chiara Monaco: When Variationist Linguistics Meets Metalanguage: Sociolinguistic Snapshots from Postclassical Greek
Abstract: This session will focus on the analysis of metalanguage as an important analytic category for various sociolinguistic phenomena, such as:
- The social evaluation of language
- Metalanguage in ideological construction
- Strategic stylisation in discourse
The aim of the session is to provide insights from ancient and modern metalinguistic sources and to analyse how they contribute to our understanding of the Greek language.
Preparatory readings:
TBA
dr. Konstantinos Sampanis (Universität Wien): Modern Greek from a diachronic perspective
Abstract: Along with its undisputed philological significance, the unbroken literary tradition of Greek provides an ideal case for examining the linguistic development of the language from antiquity to the modern era. The course aims to elucidate the changes that have taken place in the language from Hellenistic Koiné (roughly 300 BC – 600 AD) to Modern Greek as spoken nowadays, both in its standard form and across its various dialectal varieties. We examine the gradual changes in the phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical systems from a solid historical linguistic point of view, and we focus on intermediate stages such as Late Middle (13th – 15th c. AD) and Early Modern Greek (16th – 18th c. AD). As a hands-on complement to the theoretical discussion, course participants will analyze (short and accessible) texts and explore corpora drawn from Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) and other digital repositories (e.g., Sketch Engine). At the same time, the course serves as a smooth introduction to the methodology of descriptive historical linguistic analysis.
Preparatory readings:
Holton, David & Io Manolessou. 2010. Medieval and Early Modern Greek. In Egbert J. Bakker (ed.), A Companion to the Ancient Greek Language. Oxford, UK: Wiley‐Blackwell, pp. 539–63.
Mackridge, Peter. 2010. Modern Greek. In Egbert J. Bakker (ed.), A Companion to the Ancient Greek Language. Oxford, UK: Wiley‐Blackwell, pp. 564–87.
MA Michele Didoli: Language, Narration, Imagery. Approaching Early Modern Greek in Intralingual Greek Translations
Abstract: Starting from the overview of the evolution of Greek outlined in the previous sessions, this session will delve into the linguistic analysis of an Early Modern Greek text. We will work interactively on the 17th-century Andros–Thessaloniki version of the poem Digenis Akritis, the only one in prose within the poem’s tradition. We will explore the linguistic characteristics of the text, emphasizing their contextual distribution and framing them within the morphosyntactic variation typical of Early Modern Greek (polytypia). In parallel, through linguistic analysis and comparison with other late versions of the poem (16th-17th centuries), we will reconstruct the process of intralingual translation and rewriting underlying the prose version. We will thus highlight how changes in language also shape the textual and narrative form of the work, and how this process affects the imagery of the poem itself.
Preparatory readings:
TBA
Registration
To participate, students can register with Prof. Dr Klaas Bentein (klaas.bentein@ugent.be) or Prof. Dr Andrea Cuomo (andrea.cuomo@ugent.be). Please include in your email a short motivation, including your background, research interests, and why you would like to follow this course.
Students can register until October 31, 2025 at the latest.
Practical information
The course will take place at the Faculty of Arts & Philosophy (Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Gent), on December 1-2, 2025.
This course is organized in collaboration with OIKOS. There is limited sponsorship available for travel & accommodation for OIKOS students. Please consult the organizers to determine your eligibility.
The course is free of charge for everyone.
Previous editions
Greek Linguistics: An introduction to the historical linguistics of Ancient and Medieval Greek (December 9-10, 2024)
The course aims to introduce students to key research questions in Greek linguistics, with a focus on historical, comparative, and sociolinguistic aspects. The classes offer a good balance between theoretical approaches (key theories are presented, and major publications are discussed) and hands-on practice through guided exercises. This structure ensures that students, regardless of their prior knowledge of Greek, can engage with and benefit from the lessons. Practical examples and exercises are designed to accommodate different levels of proficiency in Greek, offering tailored support to meet varying student needs.
Programme 2024
The programme can be downloaded here: Programme
Lecturers 2024
dr. Ezra la Roi
dr. Chiara Monaco
dr. David Pérez Moro
MA Michele Didoli & prof. Andrea Cuomo