Kat, an American in Athens posted a very interesting article titled Why don’t you speak Greek
fluently?, which explains about how she never got around to really learn Greek fluently after
10 years living here. In short: circumstances. My story is tota…

First, I’ve no clue if my site is the place to be or not. I started it purely as a way to inform and assist people by providing realistic, first-hand accurate information from experience. I think Mel’s Diner and This is not my Country have something different to offer, being that Mel is the wife of a Greek in Thessaloniki and Devious Diva is from the UK — we all cover different issues. I don’t know if mine is the best or not. I just put myself out there and see what happens.

I do tell Greeks and non-Greeks alike that speaking fluent Greek isn’t necessary for the jobs I’m offered because of my background, but it’s a question I get anyway because “I’m in Greece and need to speak Greek.” I already speak Spanish, French and English so I don’t see what the big deal is. I speak at a high level, just not fluent…that’s more than I can say for many. I’m doing jobs that Greeks don’t or can’t do, so I’m stealing nothing from no one. And by the way, I lived in NY in neighborhoods where people have lived their whole lives and speak not a word of English…and there are free lessons on every block. I don’t criticize or question, I accept.

Your story about the clerk reminds me of the time I was with my Greek friend Yanni who studied in the UK for 4 years and has a perfect London accent. Some local was listening to us speak in English on the metro escalator and remarked that we should go back to our own countries. He politely snapped back (in Greek) that Greeks should start acting like part of the EU by at least standing right, walking left. She shut up after that.

And to your last comment, Greeks complain about the Dimosio but want to work for them, so that’s about right. I heard some ridiculous figure from my friend Michalis about how there were 200 positions and 40,000 people applied. That’s insane.

Wow! Your site has really turned into the place to be. I have been visiting expats’ blogs for over 2 years when there was only a few out there (Mel’s Diner and This is not My Country were a few notables back then).

But, without a doubt, yours is the best. Informative, allows complaints, organized, etc).

Now, regarding your post. You should just tell Greek people the reason you don’t speak Greek (well?) is because “den exo anagee.” I haven’t had a need for it. Also, you could remind them that the EU’s official language is English (whether true or not). Example: The other day, a clerk at the supermarket asked me why I don’t speak Greek to her since I know it. I tell her (in an apologetic manner), Well, since Greece is Europe now, I feel obligated to speak English to be a good Euro Citizen. I think I almost had her believing she should start speaking English…

Finally, overheard by a Greek American friend of mine: Greeks who speak English do well, those who speak only Greek are destined for Dimosio…..

as for Greeks picking up English, i’ve noticed they pick up the basic mechanics of the language well–as they are taught in a very old school formal way in school–but they miss the subtleties and filters i mentioned earlier.

as for the relative ease in which they pick up the language, well that’s obvious; Greeks consume a large amount of American and British cultural artifacts, mostly via music and film, and this helps facilitate the learning process enormously. shame the reverse scenario doesn’t apply because my Greek would certainly be more advanced! it’s difficult to learn Greek when you are 3rd generation and your parents speak English in the home.

1.Greek is difficult for beginners because it’s strict, inflexible grammatical rules and procedures render it static IMO. there are serious limitations to it. that’s why people like me struggle to learn it because we are used to having more ‘options’ in regards to expression, whether in the formal or informal sense.

2.English, esp in its more complex form, is a spidery, multi-directional language; meaning just comes from all angles. Greek, on the other hand, tends to be a little more ‘direct’ as far as communication, expression and meaning are concerned.(although i’m sure ted and others could pick me up on this, since their greek is way more advanced than mine will ever be) there are many reasons for this IMO: 1. there are more words in the english language that have multiple meanings and whose meaning is almost entirely context dependent. it’s the context which generates the meaning, not the actual word itself. there are greek words like this too, but not nearly as many as English. so not only do you have to learn the different meanings of words, you have to know how to apply them and WHEN to apply them; the possibilities are endless. And more options generate a whole new set of complications to deal with.

also, English relies more on subtle suggestion, through understated use of language, or a variety of filters, all which lead to double, even triple, meanings; try being too sarcastic or ironic in Greek and watch the edifice topple right in front of you.

so yes, i generally agree with Thomas; English is a simple language in terms of fundamentals. But if you want to go beyond this level, it requires great effort. it just isn’t the simple language that so many Europeans make it out to be. And they believe this because they mostly don’t pick up on the ’subtlety’ of it.

On a broader note, if language helps us understand, define and shape our meaning of the world and our experience of it, then i wonder if more ’static’ languages like Greek, German etc are particularly useful in this regard. i’m not dismissing them entirely–i love the Greek language, it’s a challenge, and i like challenges–but i wonder how much ’static/inflexible’ languages prevent us from ’seeing’ things the way they ought to be seen? Or at least make it more difficult for us to grasp new ways of thinkings, new points of view that inevitably emerge as time goes on. a German friend of mine, with exceptional English language skills, once said that English was great because it allowed him to be more ‘creative and playful’; it opened up a whole new realm of possibility. it was an interesting way to put it, that’s for sure. But i think my reach has extended my grasp at this point so i’ll end it here.

I believe the examples I gave are either very talented people (those very proficient in English without immersion or lessons, perhaps like your fiancee) or horribly lazy people (ones immersed in English in the UK or USA, but unable to learn basics). I wasn’t using these as examples to disagree with you, just listing them as ‘rare cases’ that puzzle me.

I misread that you were talking about pronunciation, and I’m sorry about that because you’re also right on that point. Greeks are much more able to grasp that, it’s true.

Not being able to communicate at a certain level was a huge frustration because I’m in love with communicating with others, but couldn’t do it. When I and many others in my class made it over that wall you mentioned, there was still some frustration with learning new things, but our attitude was much more relaxed because things were coming together.

Thanks for correcting me! Sorry that your comment didn’t post right away, it was put in spam for reasons I can’t figure out. Yet something else for which I don’t have proficiency!