Katharevousa (Greek: Καθαρεύουσα, pronounced[kaθaˈrevusa], literally "purifying [language]") is a conservative form of the Modern Greek language conceived in the late 18th century as both a literary language and a compromise between Ancient Greek and the contemporary vernacular, Demotic Greek. Originally, it was widely used for both literary and official purposes, though sparingly in daily language. In the 20th century, it was increasingly adopted for official and formal purposes, until minister of education Georgios Rallis made Demotic Greek the official language of Greece in 1976, and in 1982 Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou abolished the polytonic system of writing for both Demotic and Katharevousa.
Katharevousa was conceived by the intellectual and revolutionary leader Adamantios Korais (1748–1833).[1] A graduate of the University of Montpellier, Korais spent most of his life as an expatriate in Paris. As a classical scholar credited with both laying the foundations of Modern Greek literature and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment, he was repelled by the Byzantine and subsequent influence on Greek society, and was a fierce critic of the clergy and their alleged subservience to the Ottoman Empire.[2] He held that education was a prerequisite to Greek liberation.
Part of Katharevousa's purpose was to serve as a compromise solution for the struggle between the "archaists" demanding full reversion to archaic Greek, and the "modernists".
^Skendi, Stavro (1975). "Language as a Factor of National Identity in the Balkans of the Nineteenth Century". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 119 (2): 186–189. JSTOR 986634.
^Korais, Adamantios, Adelfikí Didaskalía Αδελφική Διδασκαλία (PDF) (in Greek), p. 3sq
Katharevousa (Greek: Καθαρεύουσα, pronounced [kaθaˈrevusa], literally "purifying [language]") is a conservative form of the Modern Greek language conceived...
(Demotic Greek) or a cultivated literary language based on Ancient Greek (Katharevousa) should be the official language of the Greek people. It was a highly...
and Katharevousa) that co-existed in Greece throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Varieties of Modern Greek include Demotic, Katharevousa, Pontic...
language of Greece. "Demotic Greek" (with a capital D) contrasts with Katharevousa, which was used in formal settings, during the same period. In that context...
known as Katharevousa. Present-day Modern Standard Greek is largely an outgrowth of Dimotiki, with some features retained from Katharevousa. The Proto-Greek...
novel by Greek writer Alexandros Papadiamantis. Written in the Greek katharevousa, it consists of 17 chapters and was originally published in pieces in...
corresponding form in Ancient Greek and conservative formal Modern Greek (Katharevousa) is Ἑλλάς (Hellas, classical: [hel.lás], modern: [eˈlas]). This is the...
are used in everyday communication). Other examples include literary Katharevousa (H) versus spoken Demotic Greek (L); literary Tamil (H) versus colloquial...
registers (see Diglossia) culminated in the struggle between Dimotiki and Katharevousa during the 19th and 20th centuries. As for regional dialects, variation...
though a few end in -ώ with -ου being possible. Most Greek first names in Katharévousa (which can be considered the "official" form of the first name) generally...
secondary schools, and also in primary schools (with some katharevousa there since 1881). Katharevousa was still used for every kind of administration and for...
Modern Greek: Dimotiki, the vernacular form of Modern Greek proper, and Katharevousa, meaning 'purified', a compromise between Dimotiki and Ancient Greek...
Piphilology comprises the creation and use of mnemonic techniques to remember many digits of the mathematical constant π. The word is a play on the word...
foreign influences were excluded from official use via the creation of Katharevousa, a somewhat artificial form of Greek purged of all foreign influence...
diminutive of τρισκελίς 'three-pronged'. The form τρισκέλιον does exist in Katharevousa, however, as the term for a small three-legged chair or table (and also...
the two countries with majority Greek population, Greece and Cyprus. Katharévousa (Καθαρεύουσα) is a form of the Greek Language midway between modern and...
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek Ἅγιοι Τεσσαράκοντα; Demotic: Άγιοι Σαράντα) were a group of Roman soldiers in...
Πειραιάς Peiraiás [pireˈas]; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Peiraieús; Ancient: [peːrai̯eús], Katharevousa: [pire̞ˈefs]) is a port city within the...
In the polytonic orthography traditionally used for ancient Greek and katharevousa, the stressed vowel of each word carries one of three accent marks: either...
Leonidio (Greek: Λεωνίδιο, Katharevousa: Λεωνίδιον, Tsakonian: Αγιελήδι) is a town and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the...
Lefkáda, [lefˈkaða]), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, Leukás, modern pronunciation Lefkás) and Leucadia, is a Greek...
Kefalovryso (Greek: Κεφαλόβρυσο, "headspring"), in Katharevousa Kefalovryson (Κεφαλόβρυσον), may refer to several places in Greece: Kefalovryso, Argolis...
me nihil scire" or "scio me nescire". It was later back-translated to Katharevousa Greek as "[ἓν οἶδα ὅτι] οὐδὲν οἶδα", [hèn oîda hóti] oudèn oîda). This...
English name for the river, but many sources cite the formerly official Katharevousa version of the name, Aliákmon. Today, the only official variant is the...
Global Information