Classical Greek / Levels 9 and 10 / Understanding / Role of language and culture
Content description
Identify how cultural values, attitudes and beliefs of the ancient Greeks are embedded in their language
Elaborations
discussing ancient Greek values that are embedded in terms such as such as σοφία and ξενία and considering their significance in the modern world
understanding how language and cultural practices are interconnected, for example, by explaining religious origins or connotations associated with words and expressions such as ἱερόν/τέμενος/ἡρῷον/ἄβατον/μυστήρια/εὐσέβεια
investigating the use of dialects to denote differences in ethnicity and social status in ancient Greece, for example, Aristophanes’ use of Doric to ridicule a Spartan character
exploring the formal language that ancient Greeks used for greetings, or responding to the challenges of public life, such as ἔρρωσθε καὶ ἐδαιμονεῖτε, ἀσπάζομαι, ὦ ἄνδρεςἈθηναῖοι, ὦ δικασταί, and making comparisons with own language use in formal contexts
reflecting on how language, texts and artefacts provide a means of understanding the social and cultural practices of ancient Greeks and how they conceptualised their world
