How Greece abandoned kafarevousa in schools

January 27, 1976 In Greece, a decision was made that became a turning point for education and language: dimotikathat is, the popular Greek language, was to become the only language of instruction in all school classes.

The decision was made after a multi-hour meeting in Ministry of Education. The Prime Minister attended the meeting Konstantinos Karamanlisas well as the Minister of Education, deputy ministers, academicians and rectors. Among the participants was Evangelos Papanoutsosthe inspirer of a major educational reform prepared even before the dictatorship.

The discussion was not only about the language issue. The discussion was about broader problems of the Greek educational system. However, it is the cancellation capharevus attracted the most public attention. It is not surprising: when the state has been arguing for decades about what language it should speak with its own children, this is no longer a grammar, but a diagnosis.

According to the decision, school textbooks had to be rewritten in dimotica. Additionally, ancient Greek texts were intended to be taught in translation so that students could understand the content rather than simply struggle with linguistic archaeology.

Society’s reaction

Conservative circles reacted immediately and sharply. For them kafarevus remained a symbol of continuity with the ancient Greek tradition and a “higher” state language.

However, supporters dimotics constituted the majority in Greek society and greeted the decision with approval. For them, this was not just a school reform, but the end of a long linguistic split that had divided the state, education, literature and everyday speech for decades.

Minister of Education Georgios Rallisspeaking in parliament, formulated this extremely figuratively: “Kafarevusa and Dimotika are children of the ancient Greek language. Kafarevusa, as a firstborn, died. And today, with this bill, we sign the act of her death.”.

Why the decision didn’t come as a surprise

The decision itself did not come as a complete surprise. Konstantinos Karamanlis has previously stated that his top priorities are foreign policy and education. And the language issue was a fundamental part of educational policy.

After the fall of the Greek dictatorship, it was necessary not only to restore democratic institutions, but also to resolve old internal conflicts. One of them concerned language: the state, school and society could no longer live in a situation where the official language was noticeably at odds with the living speech of the majority of citizens.

The transition, however, was gradual. Illustrative detail: the bill on the transition to dimotica was written back on kafarevuse. Minister Rallis explained that it is not yet possible to immediately translate legal texts into dimotics. The same caution was maintained in the question polytonic spelling: then the authorities believed that the time had not yet come for its abolition.

When Kafarevusa left school

The bill was passed by parliament April 7, 1976. Only Communist Party of Greece did not support it, mainly because of other provisions of the educational reform, and not because of dimotics itself.

Academic year 1976–1977 became the first when all school subjects began to be taught exclusively in dimotika. This meant the end capharevus as the language of school education.

The next major step was taken in 1982when it was canceled in Greece polytonic writing system and switched to monotonous spelling. The reaction to this decision was even more violent: for part of society, the blow to stress was almost a blow to civilization. The Greeks know how to argue about language as if the fate of the Parthenon depended on one accent.

Editorial comment

Cancel capharevus in school education was not just a technical reform. It was a symbolic break with a system in which the state spoke to citizens in a language divorced from their daily lives.

Dimotika won not because it was “simpler” or “poorer,” as its opponents claimed, but because it was the living language of society. The Greek state has finally recognized the obvious: schools should teach children in a language they understand, and not turn education into a test of loyalty to a dead administrative tradition.

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