Practicing Old Names
3 posters
Page 1 of 1
Practicing Old Names
I have decided to start practicing Hellenic religion with original pronunciations. For example, calling Apollo, Apollon. Athena, Athene. Dionysus, Dionysos, and so on. Do you think most Hellenic practitioners would be confused by that, or do you think most of them use the Latin Names instead of the transliterations?
AgathonZante- God Member
- Posts : 289
Join date : 2014-02-17
Age : 40
Re: Practicing Old Names
Most older texts will use the Anglicization/Latinization. Newer publications often use direct transliteration of the Greek.
I personally, as a linguist, keep Latin words Latin and Greek words Greek. I avoid transliterations in general and write Greek words as they ought to be written – in Greek script.
Latin-speaking Roman writers did not transliterate. Greek was written in Greek, even if used in an otherwise Latin text. I follow this custom.
I really do think any educated person ought to be able to at least recognize Greek letters and know their sounds, and probably their names.
Foreign-script transliteration of any language, I think, tends to look awkward.
I personally, as a linguist, keep Latin words Latin and Greek words Greek. I avoid transliterations in general and write Greek words as they ought to be written – in Greek script.
Latin-speaking Roman writers did not transliterate. Greek was written in Greek, even if used in an otherwise Latin text. I follow this custom.
I really do think any educated person ought to be able to at least recognize Greek letters and know their sounds, and probably their names.
Foreign-script transliteration of any language, I think, tends to look awkward.
Re: Practicing Old Names
I see! I like to feel as Greek as possible when I practice my religion, so I use the Greek pronunciation, such as Apollon for Apollo, and so on. Although, interestingly enough, most of the Names of Greek Deities are not spelled differently in transliteration and Latin. Most of the time, the letters are all the same. For example, Artemis is still spelled Artemis in transliteration and Latin.
AgathonZante- God Member
- Posts : 289
Join date : 2014-02-17
Age : 40
Re: Practicing Old Names
I've noticed that most Greeks assume that their demotic form Demetra is normal. It's very confusing at first when one searches for Demeter on a site and finds nothing!
I used to be distressed that Taylor used Latin names in his translations of the Orphic Hymns, but now I just change them when the metre allows but I don't fret if it doesn't.
After all, what most people call "Greek pronunciation" is a bad rendering of the Attic dialect of Plato's day. He may have said Apollon, but there were plenty who said Aploun, or other forms.
I used to be distressed that Taylor used Latin names in his translations of the Orphic Hymns, but now I just change them when the metre allows but I don't fret if it doesn't.
After all, what most people call "Greek pronunciation" is a bad rendering of the Attic dialect of Plato's day. He may have said Apollon, but there were plenty who said Aploun, or other forms.
DavidMcCann- Sinior Member
- Posts : 130
Join date : 2014-04-20
Location : London
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum