Can Parent and Daughter co-exist?

[Eduard Selleslagh]

[ moderator re-formatted ]

-----Original Message-----
From: petegray <petegray at btinternet.com>
Date: Monday, September 20, 1999 9:45 AM

>A further example of at least an aunt and a daughter co-existing might be
>seen in the Katherevousa and the Demotike forms of modern Greek.   No one
>learnt Katherevousa as a mother tongue, but in the 60's we could hardly
>claim that it was not "Greek", just because it had no mother speakers.

>Peter

[Ed Selleslagh]

Katharévousa is an artificial invention of 19th century intellectuals who
wanted a 'purified' (as the name indicates: katharos = pure) modern Greek,
i.e. freed of all kinds of non-Greek words (Turkish, Italian, other Balkan
lgs., ...) and even some flection forms which were regarded as popular mix-ups
or simplistic.  It is voluntarily archaeicizing.

It was very influential, however, and re-introduced lost words (e.g.
xenodocheio(n) = hotel) even in Dhimotikí.

It has always been a written language.

Ed.