European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Alan Cowell new York times within the Marble colonnades of the Athens Academy Girt by worthy Lomes there is a Man who has thought much on Greece and ils language. And he has decided thai in the land of the classics a heritage is being denied since the teaching of classical greek was abolished irom Many classrooms in 1s76, and spoken greek was made the language of administration said professor Constantine Trypanis a former teacher of modern greek Al Oxford University the language has become impoverished " Young people these Days he said limit themselves to a few words of demotic greek the spoken greek and that could have consequences in a land known More for the breadth of thought of ancients than the narrowness of moderns. We think through  the professor a former president of the Athens Academy said in an interview therefore if we impoverish the language and take away words we Lake away ways of  hl3 words reflected something of a controversy Between those like him. Who Lavor greater prominence for Ancion greek and for the 19th Century spoken greek called Katha Revous. Ant those who Champion the demotic decades ago. Iho dispute spread to fisticuffs in the Streels of Athens Between Suppo lers of the demotic associated Ihen with Lett Wing politics and Jiose who spoke Kasha Revous an artificial hybrid of ancient and Modem greek created 1 to years ago and associated with the Ehle these Days the doable seems More limited to Learned argument and sorrel pcs. A Wistful acknowledgement of a Drill away Iron the nation s Clas i he Mage the nation that is. May Nuoc toward War with neighbouring Turkey As m he pc cell crisis in the Aegean or waver on   like ils  a i h wailing Ion jul Boond  discussion continues that reflects More on the image modern Greece has of itself and the relationship it rnai Plains with its own Hillury even during limes of. Peace. Ike today the threat against our National entity is visible in various forms president Christos Sar Ezerakis said in a speech recently. One of those threats he said Lay in the execution of our Sweet greek language by shrinking it and looking Lor foreign words the education minister. Antonio Antsis. A socialist said earlier ibis year that verbal penury and cultural discontinuity had overtaken Greece a remark that reflected the spread of concern about the results of limiting the leaching of ancient greek and the study of classical texts. Thai penury loan outsider at least seems difficult of discern in a nation where solubility and High decide ratings seem enl med with his very Nolion of conversation . Som Arguo is built for Many around a vocabulary of no More than 500 words compared with the ancient vocabulary of 300,000, words that in ,000 or More years have infiltrated Many other languages. American experts gave estimates for the average working English vocabulary used in he United sales at 10.000 to 50.000 words. It now seems that Iho vast Richness and re linemen of the greek language have been gradually reduced to the banality of Slang with an average of 500 words in use 0 j Peri Volant wrote in rnc�cononn5i. The British weekly when the debate spilled into is Sellers columns. I cannot help thinking that. If Socrates were to come out of his grave now. He would again seek Ifie redemption of Hemlock to escape Iho Lorenl of hearing his fellow aliens Speakma an alien Lon flue he said thai was matched by a left or irom ale Vardamis. Who Cave an Acrdnt in North Dakota 35 his Delphi 1 that the great Liguras of greek literature Kazan Akis. Caw Ify and ail the rest without exception Chod not to write in St Harbour. Met Milfs that linguistically demotic greek \ As capable of accurate expression As any other language he wrote. A said Trypanis in his study in rebuttal of this argument but All Iho poels who wrote this wonderful poetry were i rained in the old fashioned Way with classical greek and the cathar Otousa along with Trie  Toucho Vardamis the linguistic Parry seemed to say Over the centuries Trypanis said written greek tried to remain Static according o the classical line. Bui Alt through the centuries spoken greek developed further and further away from this Static  in the Early 19lh Century. Kasha Revous emerged As a Compromise language an artificial Effort to blend written and spoken greek. But Only in 1880. The pro lessor said did written and spoken greek become identical with the so called demonic movement which was based on greek Asil had evolved in speech thai collided wifi an Odu a ional system Hal insisted on the learn Igol classical greek so that scholars could read classical texts in the original rather than in translation classical greek is now limited 10 the final three years of High school among those planning University Entrance while the Dorn Olic nourishes elsewhere in official co Lumen a and in he classroom and on the a reefs. That the professor said is not enough for the learning of the language. Hetiso said that scholars should be laugh to think and memorize and express themselves. Bui other influences Are at play. Greek americans Tor instance the professor said were bringing in borrowings such As Fasfous Wadika meaning a Fos Lood outlet or  for air conditioning. Many younger greeks remember the Effort to team classical greek As a painful and mechanical chore that unlocked no secret thought processes Tot them. And so today some older greeks complain. The Young people soem More at Homo with grunts and abbreviations than with sentences honed on syntax and grammar and worthy of Homer the a Rajher social  Hoover. Trypanis said 1 ,. Always  Ric Nof forms " Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday. May 10,193?