Greek

the long version

Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers traces the development of this fascinating language from the Mycenaean period of the second millennium BC to the present day, combining both external and internal history into a single narrative. It is the first book in English to explore the evolution of the Greek language as a whole, in all its regional and social heterogeneity, and in both its spoken and written forms, which, from late antiquity until surprisingly recently, were strikingly different in character, and provided the classic textbook example of what has now come to be known as diglossia. The cultural roots of this phenomenon and its profound implications for the development of the language provide a continuing theme throughout the book. Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers will prove essential reading for second and third year students taking courses in the history of Greek, Classical civilization, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, and historical linguistics.