Why study Modern Greek?
The relevance of Modern Greek to Greek Australian students is challenged by PROFESSOR VRASIDAS KARALIS as he calls for a broader and more contemporary understanding of what Modern Greek Studies can constitute.
Modern Greek studies needs to be interesting and exciting to attract students.
And let’s hope that this will convince more students to think that there is something positive and interesting and useful in Greek culture, language and tradition.
I will go even further: we must reclaim ancient Greek culture from classicists; we must reclaim Byzantine studies from Byzantinists.
We must establish diplomas in Hellenic Studies together with other disciplines and areas of study.
The concept of cultural and linguistic continuity should be our starting point.
But for these to be successful, we need an extensive program of translations, into English first and then other languages.
The idea that we can establish a whole program in Greek studies based on Seferis, Cavafy and Kazantzakis, or Elytis, is evidently unsuccessful.
It was sufficient during the 1980s and 1990s when there were many people with Greek as their first language.
Today, these works are not enough and not relevant any more.
We must renew the content of studies in order to expand our pool of students by reaching out to more potential takers.
Greek studies have shrunk because what we offer has shrunk over the last 35 years.
Even at the level of language teaching we don’t have enough material produced except in a rather scattered and fragmented way.
But teaching Greek doesn’t mean just teaching language.
We need to increase the existing material we offer-and if the Greek Government wants to assist, the area of translation studies should be its main priority.
Funding translations and, more importantly, continuous translation programs over long periods will give the necessary impetus to teachers to re-organise Greek studies and expand their potential.
Until then we will spend money every year on short-term non-viable projects.
I will return next time to my proposal.
Professor Vrasidas Karalis is the Professor of Modern Greek at the University of Sydney as well as an author and translator.
- Show full page
- Login or register to post comments
-
Advertisement
More from this Section
- Greek literary figures: Constantine P. Cavafy
- The church at Panagia Soumela
- Rhodes: there is more than meets the eye
- A winter break in Australia
- Greek writers at the Melbourne Writers' Festival
- Greek writers at the Melbourne Writers' Festival
- All things will pass: Greece will recover from financial downturn
- A young man of words and actions
- Greek literary figures: Nikos Kazantzakis
- Swimming in the waters of history
Advertisement
-
Companies are increasingly branding their product with the Australia Made, Australia Grown logo
-
Around 150 people met this week to lobby for the reintroduction of Greek language at Wales Street Primary School
-
Arthur Galan wowed audiences at Spring Fashion week this week
-
Greece lost to Turkey by eleven points in the World Basketball Championships after vying for the lead in the third quarter.
-
The three Greek clubs - Aris, AEj and PAOK - are drawn in tough groups for the Europa League
-
The Greek Film Festival is touring Australia next month
-
Letho Kostoglou is the first Greek Australian to attempt a complete reconstructon of Mozart's Requiem Mass
-
Actor turned accessory-maker, Dimitris Dassios cuts a fine figure
-
Melbourne jeweller Vikki Kassioras tells Melissa Chrys about hew jewellery-making practice
-
South Australian artisan cheesemaker, Kris Lloyd, has a true passion for her craft
-
On The Spit pokes fun at the Bishop of Kalavryta and identifies a new source of export income for Greece
-
Downer said that the process can not be allowed to drag on.
-
Photographers, Peter Kakalias and Kon Deves were sent out by Neos Kosmos, across Melbourne to capture the spirit of Greek Orthodox Easter.
-
The 60th anniversary of the Nationality and Citizenship Act has been celebrated with the release of a commemmorative $1 coin.
-
Levadiakos, Olympiakos, PanThrakikos, Xanthi, Iraklis, PAOK and Yiannina were the winners in round 20 of the Greek Super League.
-
The man wanted for allegedly murdering an ethnic Greek in the Albanian town of Himara turned himself in to police.
-
Greece is on track to fix national debt crisis and fulfil the terms of EU/IMF bailout according to Greek finance minister.
-
Con Saristavros shares his experience of running Black Swan Dips, one of Australia's largest producers of dips.
-
George Halvagis has expressed his family's frustration with the decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn the conviction of Peter Dupas for the murder of Mersina Halvagis and to order a new trial.
-
Melissa Chrys responds to the findings of a survey on women and their body image by proclaiming that women should be celebrating their bodies and themselves.
-
The Greek Government is increasing camera surveillance in a bid to increase public safety.
-
A Mythological Greek Table at Greek Deli and Taverna was a huge hit as part of the Chapel Street festival.
-
Marcos Baghdatis edged closer to a potential third round showdown with Lleyton Hewitt after brushing aside Australian Nick Lindahl.
-
Etihad Airways is increasing the number of flights between Australia and Greece.
-
Samaras: the problem is not the first 100 days that were lost but the days that are coming
-
Phil Papadopoulos points to hard work, commitment and discipline as a key to football success.
-
The Karamanlis government is proposing a reduction in the mandatory length of military service in the army to nine months.
-
The Greek government is selling a minority share holding in Greece's second largest water utility, EYATH, by competitive tender.
Comments
Hi, I agree that the content of Modern Greek Language classes could stand a little improvement and I state so as having seen my children all progress through Modern Greek at school. But there are many issues at play here. Parents who simply do not have a good enough understanding or a commitment to their own heritage, possibly because their Greek school put them to sleep or left them with ruler marks on their heads. Kids who want to dance and ride and play and do everything else because they do not realise the value of language. ANd then there are those schools who do NOT want us to preserve our language, our heritage. I am not a fan of those who would kill of our language classes nor am I a fan of an education department that allows such evil.