EVENT ON THE HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RADIANCE OF THE GREEK LANGUAGE

An event titled “The Greek Language: Its Phonology and Its Radiance” was held yesterday at the Embassy of Greece in Belgium, in the presence of Members of the European Parliament, diplomats, academics, representatives of Greek diaspora organizations, and friends of the Greek language.

In her welcome address, the Ambassador of Greece to Belgium, Ms. Sofia Grammata, underlined that Greek has significantly influenced numerous other languages and serves as a gateway for anyone wishing to engage with Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek theatre, and other seminal works that have shaped the course of European civilization. She also took the opportunity, prompted by the presence of representatives of the AHEPA organization of the United States, to praise the role of the Greek diaspora.

The Permanent Representative of Greece to UNESCO, Ambassador Georgios Koumoutsakos, referred to the intensive, coordinated diplomatic efforts that led to an exceptional outcome in recognizing the global radiance of the Greek language: the UNESCO Decision—supported by a remarkably large number of states at the 43rd UNESCO General Conference in November 2025 (Samarkand, Uzbekistan)—to proclaim 9 February (the date of death of our national poet, Dionysios Solomos) as World Greek Language Day.

The Honorary Consul of Greece in Ghent and Emeritus Professor of Ancient and Asia Minor Greek Linguistics at Ghent University (UGent), Mr. Mark Janse, discussed the issue of the phonology of Ancient Greek, referring to the ancient Greek dialects and their evolution.

The Supreme President of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), Mr. Chris Kaitson, along with members of AHEPA USA honored the event with their presence. Mr. Kaitson emphasized the organization’s commitment to supporting programs that promote Greek education, as in the past 103 years.

On the occasion of the anniversary of Iakovos Kambanellis’ birth (2 December 1921), the Embassy paid tribute by screening two songs from the work “Mauthausen”, with lyrics by Iakovos Kambanellis and music by Mikis Theodorakis—courtesy of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT S.A.) Archive.

The Greek Language: Its Phonology and Its Radiance
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