Opinions - Testimonies

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• Jacqueline de Romilly, professor at the Sorbonne (1957), first woman professor at the Collège de France (1973), member of the French Academy (1988), honorary Greek citizen (1995) and Ambassador of Hellenism (2000):
  
  Dear Sir, I strongly wish that accents be preserved... read it
• ✝Peter Fraser, emeritus lecturer at Oxford University:
  
  I was glad to hear about your Movement for the reintroduction of the polytonic system of accentuation... read it
• Alain Segonds, directeur de recherche du CNRS, directeur général des Éditions Les Belles Lettres:
  
  Cher ami, j'avais longuement traîné à vous écrire sur cette délicate question [des accents], non que... read it
• Gregorios Sifakis, prof. emeritus of classical Greek philology at the University of Thessaloniki and New York University:
  
  Why do I insist on the polytonic accentuation system? A short—as well as precise—answer would be:... read it
• Zyranna Zateli, writer:
  
  I use accents and breathings in my writing because, first of all, I like them and love them... read it
• Vangelis Hadzigiannidis, writer:
  
  I remember I was in the swimming pool for my weekly hydrotherapy session, when... read it
• Yorgos Brounias, writer:
  
  I would say, now that I’m asked about it—because before I considered it as a fact without too many explanations—... read it
• Carlos Steel, professor of ancient philosophy, University of Leuven:
  
  I am a scholar in ancient Greek philosophy and an editor of ancient Greek texts in numerous prestigious international series... read it
• Concetta Luna, researcher at Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa (Italy):
  
  Like millions of other Italians who went through the Classical Lyceum (high school), I learned ancient Greek... read it
• Philippe Brunet, professor of ancient Greek at Rouen university:
  
  The decision to switch from the polytonic to the monotonic system belongs to the Greeks and I have no right to interfere into their choices, but I can... read it
• François Patte, mathematician-sanskritist, professor at Paris V University:
  
  Some years ago I went to see a greek newspaper and was very astonished... read it
• Vernon E. Kooy, Retired Philosopher and Font Designer - Hastings, Nebraska, USA:
  
  By legislating in favor of the monotonic system, Greek has been “dummied down” short and simple... read it
• Phidias N. Bourlas, computer engineer:
  
  Twenty years later I found my beloved, lost, polytonic system again!... read it
• Chrissostomos Papaspyrou, chemist/linguist, educator at the Athens Special Lyceum for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing:
  
  I’m deaf. When I was three years old, I permanently lost my hearing. I don’t remember anymore... read it
• Nikos Dimitriadis, classical scholar:
  
  The goal of the Organization for the Internationalization of Greek Language is to widespread... read it
• Dimitrios Filippou, engineer:
  
  First of all I have to say that I am not a follower of the polytonic system, but—funnily enough—I go on using it. Why don’t I fully defend the polytonic system, although I know and use it?

  First of all, the polytonic system has been connected in my conscience with sciolist elements which have rather harmed than improved the political and cultural life of Greece. Even today I consider factitious the interest of a looser and very conservative ex-president of the Republic and the one of a very ambitious and malicious archbishop, who said that in difficult times he was studying and therefore ignored the cast in which the country has been placed.

  Secondly, the polytonic system is simply a writing system, which indeed requires mechanical memorization of many rules. If some publishers still use the polytonic system, this doesn’t mean that subsequent generations will not create literary masterpieces in the monotonic system. And if many people of my generation have hated the polytonic system it is because they hated the many rules they had to learn by force.

  Nevertheless, in spite of my doubts, I still go on writing in the polytonic system. Why not render myself to the monotonic one?

  Maybe because besides fascist polytonic sciolism, there is also the “progressive” sciolism of facility. Most young people, snug in the logic of the least effort, demand to enter in University while they can hardly spell their name... in the monotonic system. And their teachers care more about their salary than about providing them with some basic knowledge and forge their characters. Hence, my resistance to the monotonic system is an act of protest against the miserable condition of Greek education.

  Another reason why I still write polytonically is the fact that I cannot accept neither the way the monotonic system has been instaured (the vote of a sleeping “progressive” parliament in 1982) nor the subsequent logic of equalization of everything. When we read classical authors typeset monotonically in the columns of respected Athenian newspapers, they give the impression of being written in a foreign language. The state publisher of schoolbooks has striped off the accents from texts of Papadiamantis while a well-known publisher has considered that Kavafis’ poems are better read in the monotonic system. (I don’t know whether ancient authors would have supported polytonism or monotonism. They were writing in capital letters without accents and without even punctuation. But concerning Papadiamantis and Kavafis I can safely guess that if they knew that their works Phonissa and Poseidoniatai would end up some day in the hands of monotonists, they would crumple their texts, chew them and swallow them rather than send them to the printer.) Writing polytonically is an act of respect to the olders, to all those whose writings have arrived to me in the polytonic system.

  A third reason for writing polytonically is resistance to prevalence of casualness. Monotonism and simplified spelling often turn us into wanderers in the dark (ἐν σκοτίᾳ) while we think we are in... Scottland (ἐν Σκωτίᾳ). Didot, the typeface designed two centuries ago for the polytonic system is now used by typesetters for the monotonic one. And if you dare to complain they reply that there is no difference. Most craftmaster typographers have left, and I still write polytonically as an act of memory—a requiem—for lost elegance.

  I know that 25 years after its clumsy instauration the monotonic system has become a fact. I know that the monotonic system is not responsible for all the evel things people are accusing it. Honestly I don’t really believe in the re-introduction of the polytonic system. But I use it as an act of resistance to laziness and ignorance of our times, as a last “thank you!” for the texts we heritated from older generations, as a small attempt of overthrowing casualness and bad taste which tend to become the rule in our lifes.

• Nikolaos Ventouras, computer engineer:
  
  The arguments of both the (so-called) progressists as of the (so-called) rightists all start from... read it
• Yannis Gekas, private sector employee:
  
  I was born after the establishment of the monotonic system and so I was taught polytonic... read it
• Andreas Stalidis, mathematician - analyst:
  
  I will not speak about the reasons why the polytonic system should be re-introduced. There are well-argumented analyses on that, by worthy people... read it
• Yorgos Valsamis, director of ellopos.net:
  
  The wealth of the Greek language grown through all the periods of Greek history, doesn’t mean just a larger amount of words... read it
• Katerina Sokratidou, employee in a shipping agency:
  
  When the monotonic system was introduced I was in secondary school, which means that I have already been taught accents for about 7 years. At start... read it
• Nikos Theodorou, mathematician:
  
  I got acquainted with the polytonic system very young, in primary school, when my mother... read it
• Jacob J. Adams, high school student:
  
  Our world is one of many choices.  We choose what to eat and what to wear.  We choose our careers and hobbies.... read it
• Hadjinikolaou Dimitrios, teacher of English language:
  
  Why I do not approve of monotonous, spiritless spelling. ... read it
• Avgoustinos Tsirimokos, reporter:
  
  ... read it
• Nikolaos Papadopoulos, sports teacher:
  
  ... read it
• Archimidis Anagnostou, (doctor, microbiologist):
  
  ... read it
• Ioannis Vamvakas:
  
  EN1... read it
• Dimitris Tabaoglou Computer engineer:
  
  EN1... read it
• Maria Kontarini, employee in the private sector, retired:
  
  EN1... read it
• Dimitris Armaos, Philologist, poet, essayist:
  
  EN1... read it
• Yannis Flytzanis, Student in Law:
  
  ... read it
• Athina Antoniadou, Conservation of antiquities:
  
  ... read it