The Greek of Homer a Living Language

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An effort says the Westminster Review, has been made by Mr. Blackie, Professor of Greek in the University of Edinburgh, to reform the pronunciation ot Greek as they do in Greece, insisting that it is not a dead, but a living language—as any one may see by looking at a Greek newspaper. Professor Blackie gives an extract from a newspaper printed last year at Athens, giving an account ot Kossuths visit to America, from which it is evident that the language of Homer lives in a state of purity, to which, considering the extraordinary duration of its literary existence —two thousand five hundred years at least— there is no parallel, perhaps, on the lace of the globe. After noticing a few trifling modifications, which distinguish modern from ancient Greek, he states, as a fact, that in three columns of a Greek newspaper of the year 1852, there does not certainly occur three words that are not pure native Greek ; so very slightly has it been corrupted from foreign sources. Since the discovery of the silver mines of Potosi, there have been extracted from them not less than sixteen hundred millions of dollars The vein is said to be as rich now as ever it was ; but it is not worked for the want of mechanical force such as steam, and the facilities which steam alone can furnish. Several cars loaded with cotton took fire on the Charleston Railroad, which were totally destroyed, the heat being so intense as to melt the wheels and rails. There are ninety six thousand tons of granite, finished and unfinished, exported from the town of Rockport, Mass

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 26This article was published with the title “The Greek of Homer a Living Language” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 26 (), p. 202
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican03121853-202b

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