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The common vocabulary between Greek and Turkish language
What has prevailed in the vocabulary of the two countries today?
by Paolina Elezi
Greece and Turkey, for many years now, have undoubtedly been connected to each other.
We could say that in the past they were like one country, due to their common cultural characteristics, which left their mark even after the Greek Revolution in 1821.
Many Greek Christians lived on the Turkish side in cities such as Constantinople and areas of Asia Minor. Of course, there were also many Turkish Muslims living in Greece, until the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, under which the Christian Greeks of Turkey had to move to Greece and the Muslim Turks of Greece had to move to Turkey. The only exceptions were the Greeks who lived in Imbros, Tenedos, and Constantinople and the Turkish Muslims from East Thrace. Before the Treaty of Lausanne, the Asia Minor Disaster was preceded, which caused a huge wave of refugees in Greece, resulting in the arrival of approximately 900.000 migrants.
It is noticeable that with this movement of the populations, cultural elements were incorporated in both countries, most of them are still adopted today. The music, the morals and customs, and the cuisine shared by the two countries are just a few of the examples that could be characterized as factors that influenced Greek and Turkish culture respectively.
The language has also undergone some variations, in specific words and expressions used by the two cultures. Words related to every aspect of daily life showed great similarities and were influenced grammatically.
For example, words related to the kitchen and the household:
• Tencere = τέντζερης, <en. pot>
• Pilav = πιλάφι <en. rice>
• Sandık = σεντούκι <en. footlocker>
• Bezelye = μπιζέλι <en. pea>
The army:
• Tüfek = τουφέκι <en. musket>
• Hacı = χατζής <en. pilgrims performing the Haji, the holy pilgrimage in Mecca>
Clothing:
• Yaka = γιακάς <en. collar>
• Yelek = γιλέκο <en. vest>
And the human himself:
• Boy = μπόι <en. height>
• Levent = λεβέντης <en. fellow>
• Abla = άμπλα, αδερφή - it’s very common in Crete- <en. sister>
It is noticeable that with this movement of the populations, cultural elements were incorporated in both countries, most of them are still adopted today
According to A. F. Christides, linguist, philologist and university professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from 1976 to 2004, the first Turkish words that appeared in the Greek language are found mainly in names and surnames (ending “- oglu” = - όγλου., e.x. Papazoglu = Παπάζογλου) and in toponyms (Selanik = Θεσσαλονίκη). After the cleansing of the Greek vocabulary from foreign words, from the Turkish and Italian languages, Turkish words are found in gastronomy:
• Köfte = κεφτές <en. meatballs>
• Dolmalar = ντολμαδάκια
• İmam Bayıldı = ιμάμ μπαϊλντί <traditional food>
• Kapak = καπάκι <en. lid>
• Manav = μανάβης <en. greengrocer>
In the “terminology of oriental culture”:
• Cami = τζαμί <en. mosque>
• Nargile = ναργιλές <en. shisha>
And some everyday words:
• Tembel = τεμπέλης <en. lazy>
• Zorlamak = ζόρι <en. strain>
• Bahçe = μπαξές <en. garden>
• Duvar = ντουβάρι <en. wall>
• Dogru = ντουγρού <en. direct>
• Dert = ντέρτι <en. pain>
The Turkish language also exerted a strong influence on the Pontic and Cappadocian languages, for example in certain areas of Asia Minor the language was completely Turkified, without this affecting the faith of the Christians.
Of course, Turks also borrowed many terms from the Greek language. For example, they claim that they borrowed the word “salad” (<it. salata>) from the Italian language, while the Greeks say that they borrowed it from the Greek. Perhaps, in reality, both countries have borrowed the word from Italian. However, there is a huge range of words, which are presented in an article on the Greek website TA NEA. For instance:
• Aristokrasi = αριστοκρατία <en. aristocracy>
• Aritmetik = αριθμητική <en. math>
• Astroloji = αστρολογία <en. astrology>
• Atomik = ατομικός <en. individual>
• Elastik = ελαστικός <en. elastic>
• Filarmonik = φιλαρμονική <en. philharmonic orchestra>
• Jinekoloji = γυναικολογία <en. gynecology>
There is respect between people and this has been noticed from my personal experience, but also Turkish people who have visited Greece, mainly have the same opinion
Also, according to professor V. N. Orphanos many words of Turkish origin have not been included in any dictionary, but are used in spoken language, such as karaağaç = καραγάτσι (type of plant, also a region in Greece). In addition, some Turkish words were erased and unfortunately have not been recorded, because they were not used in the past. In the Cretan dialect, there were Turkish words and expressions due to the Turkish Cretans, which naturally influenced the local dialect. During the exchange of populations mentioned above, the words of the specific dialect may have been lost and not passed on to the next generations.
Furthermore, there are everyday expressions that Greeks use to emphasize something they want to say, such as when they hear some news (unpleasant or good) or when they don’t like something and they begrudge. For instance:
• Τσακίρ κέφι = çakırkeyif <en. tipsy>, when someone is in a good mood, because they’re drunk.
• Αμέτι μουχαμέτι = ümmeti Muhammet <en. the nation of Muhammad>, the Greeks use it when something has to be quickly by all means.
• Ντιπ για ντιπ = “dip” in Turkish means the dip point, but Greeks use it to say “completely”.
• Πιτς φιτίλι = “fitil” in Turkish means the flammable filament used in candles and “piç” means “waste”. Thus, Greeks use it to say that something happens fast, like the filament when it’s wasted.
• Τον χαβά του/της = “hava” in Turkish means the weather, the air or the situation. So, we use it when someone is in their world and they don’t understand what’s happening.
• Νισάφι πια! = insaf <en. mercy>.
• Πήγε στράφι = israf <en. waste>, in Greek we use it very often to express something that was not used, that did not pay off.
• Κύλησε ο τέντζερης και βρήκε το καπάκι = Tencere yuvarlandı kapağını buldu <en. the pot rolled and found its lid>, in both languages is used to show that someone has found the perfect match.
• Παίρνω χαμπάρι = haber <en. news>, the phrase in Greek means if someone has perceived something, if they have understood what is happening.
Historically, Greece and Turkey did not have the best relations and there were intense confrontations, which continue to this day. However, these only dominate the politics between the two states. There is respect between people and this has been noticed from my personal experience, but also Turkish people who have visited Greece, mainly have the same opinion.
