5.2 People and Family — Epoché
What you will be able to do Name every member of a family, on both sides, in Greek: ο πατέρας , η μητέρα , ο αδερφός , η αδερφή , ο γιος , η κόρη . Say who somebody is to you, with the possessive after the noun: Αυτή είναι η αδερφή μου. , Ο αδερφός μου μένει στη Βοστώνη. . Ask after somebody's family, which is the second thing a Greek conversation does: Πώς είναι η μητέρα σου; , Πού είναι οι γονείς σου; . Use the two words that address a stranger politely, and the greeting for a name day. Explain why a Greek has a name day as well as a birthday, and what to say on it. Prerequisites : 5.1 — the forty commonest words. Read 5.1 Vocabulary first; the sentences below are the first in the course to be built around nouns rather than around grammar. This is the first band of the frequency count with ordinary nouns in it, and the nouns are about people. That is not an accident of this corpus. Family words are among the commonest nouns in every language that has been counted, because most conversation is about people, and in Greece a conversation with a stranger will reach the family within about four exchanges. Two things in this list will be new as facts rather than as words. The first is that Greek keeps separate words where English has compounds: it has one word for a grandfather and another for a grandmother, and its word for a cousin changes for the cousin's sex. The second is the name day, which has no English equivalent at all and which matters more socially in Greece than a birthday does. Word list Forty words: the family, the words for a person and a neighbour, the two polite forms of address, and the verbs that go with all of them. Word (with article) Meaning Notes ο άνθρωπος el o ánthropos person, human being Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the anthropo- of anthropology; used of women as well as men ο φίλος el o fílos friend Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the phil- of philosophy η οικογένεια el i ikogénia family Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the source of English economy by way of the household it names ο, η συγγενής el relative, relation Part of speech / class noun, masculine or feminine How it differs from English one noun for both sexes; only the article says which γεννιέμαι el genniéme to be born Part of speech / class verb, middle voice How it differs from English its form looks passive and its meaning is not; a class called deponent το επώνυμο el to epónymo surname, family name Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English literally the name on top, and the opposite of the given name ο αδερφός el o aderfós brother Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the adelph- of Philadelphia, which means brotherly love Ο αδερφός μου μένει στη Βοστώνη. My brother is living in Boston. Ο αδερφός μου δεν είναι απασχολημένος. My brother is not busy. Αυτό το αγόρι είναι ο αδερφός του. That boy is his brother. η αδερφή el i aderfí sister Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the same word with a feminine ending Έχω μια αδερφή. I have a sister. Αυτή είναι η αδερφή μου. This is my sister. Η αδερφή μου αγαπάει πολύ τα παιδιά. My sister loves children very much. ο ξάδερφος el o xáderfos cousin (male) Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English changes its ending for a female cousin, where English has one word ο άντρας el o ándras man; husband Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English one word for both, as in several European languages η γυναίκα el i gynéka woman; wife Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English again one word for both Η μητέρα είναι γυναίκα. My mother is a woman. Η Μαίρη είναι η γυναίκα μου. Mary is my wife. ο, η σύζυγος el spouse Part of speech / class noun, masculine or feminine How it differs from English the formal word, used on documents; the everyday words are those for man and woman ο γάμος el o gámos marriage; wedding Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the -gamy of monogamy and polygamy η κόρη el i kóri daughter; girl Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English also the word for the pupil of the eye, as English pupil is ο γιος el o gios son Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English one syllable, which makes its declension slightly irregular η γιορτή el i giortí feast day; name day Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English covers a religious feast, a public holiday and a personal name day ο άγιος el o ágios saint Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the hagio- of hagiography; every name day is a saint's day γιορτάζω el giortázo to celebrate; to have one's name day Part of speech / class verb, first pattern How it differs from English used intransitively for having a name day, which English cannot do in one word χρόνια πολλά el chrónia pollá many happy returns Part of speech / class set phrase How it differs from English literally many years; used for name days, birthdays, Christmas and Easter alike το όνομα el to ónoma name Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the onoma- of onomatopoeia λέω el léo to say, to tell Part of speech / class verb, irregular How it differs from English takes the person told in the genitive ο κύριος el o kýrios Mr; sir; gentleman Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English the kyrie of the liturgy; in the vocative it is how you address a man you do not know η κυρία el i kyría Mrs, Ms; madam; lady Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the same word with a feminine ending, and used the same way ο γείτονας el o gítonas neighbour Part of speech / class noun, masculine How it differs from English a social relation in Greece rather than merely a geographical one ο πατέρας el o patéras father Part of speech