Question about Greek basic color terms (BCTs)...

[wvwvw]

What about aspros, mauros, and kokkinos? I know kokkinos is Greek, but why don't they use erychtos and leukos for red and white?

Middle English, from Middle French aspre or Italian aspro, both from Ancient Greek ἄσπρον (áspron), from neuter of ἄσπρος (áspros, “white”), from Latin asper (“rough, newly minted”) from ancient greek ασπις;

Παλιότερα, τα χρήματα λέγονταν «άσπρα». Έχεις άσπρα, έχεις άστρα, λέει μια παλιά παροιμία. Όχι, δεν ονομάστηκαν «άσπρα» τα νομίσματα επειδή ήταν ασημένια, άρα λευκά· το λευκό χρώμα ονομάστηκε έτσι επειδή έμοιαζε με τα νομίσματα. Εξηγούμαι: στα λατινικά asper σημαίνει «τραχύς» (τη λέξη τη βρίσκουμε και στο γαλλικό âpre). Το νιόκοπο ασημένιο νόμισμα, τραχύ και λαμπερό πριν λειανθεί από τη χρήση, ονομαζόταν nummus asper, τραχύ νόμισμα. Σιγά-σιγά έμεινε μόνο το επίθετο, asper, και πήρε θέση ουσιαστικού, και πέρασε στα βυζαντινά ελληνικά (από τον πληθυντικό: aspera, aspra) όπου άσπρα ονομάστηκαν τα ασημένια νομίσματα μικρής αξίας. Και επειδή το ασήμι είναι λευκό, η λέξη άσπρο έφτασε να εκφράζει τη λευκότητα, κι έγινε συνώνυμο της λέξης «λευκός» και μάλιστα την υποκατέστησε στη λαϊκή γλώσσα.

[Queen B]

Kitrino(Yellow) , Mavro (black), Portokali (orange), Prasino (Green), Galazio (light blue), Kokkino (red), etc are still in Greek language. So, what?

What about aspros, mauros, and kokkinos? I know kokkinos is Greek, but why don't they use erychtos and leukos for red and white?

Mavro and Kokkino are still Greek words.
As for Aspro and Leuko, actually, Lefko is used more formally, while aspro more casually.
We will say Lefki Mplouza (shirt), Lefko krasi (wine), Lefki kolla (paper), Lefkos Oikos (white house),etc.

[wvwvw]

Κokkino (red) derive from ancient greek kokkos

Αρχική - Ριζική: κόκκος < αρχ. Ετυμολογία: [<μτγν. κόκκινος < ουσ. κόκκος "ουσία για βάψιμο"

Erythro is used as synonymous to red, the team Olympiakos which has red and white colors is commonly called Erythroleukoi

Eritrea was named so by Ancient Greeks from Greek Erythre Thalassa, literally "Red Sea"

[epirot]

I was disappointed to learn that many of the basic colors in Modern Greek i.e. yellow, blue, purple, grey, and brown have Latinate or French origins. Why is this so? Were the thousands of years of Greek textual history not enough to normalize indigenous names for colors?

Notice: Yellow - Citrona, Blue - Ble (French > Frankish Germanic, spelled mple for some reason), Grey - Gri, Purple - Mov (from French mauve) and Brown - Cafe.

Indigenous textually attested terms still exist i.e. light blue - galantyo, purple - porphyr, but in many ways they have been superseded by these foreign imports.

Before that we had Slavic or Turkish or Persian or Arab names for colors :
Blavo = Blue, Dark blue
Belo = white

So?

[Queen B]

Before that we had Slavic or Turkish or Persian or Arab names for colors :
Blavo = Blue, Dark blue
Belo = white
So?

Actually, blavo is Latin, and belo , where the hell is this used? In skopje?

[catgeorge]

Much has been Latinised including calendar months of year - Byzantine was a Roman Empire afterall.

Modern Greek is heavily Latin-based in structural syntax

[DarknessWin]

What about aspros, mauros, and kokkinos? I know kokkinos is Greek, but why don't they use erychtos and leukos for red and white?

We use all of them, both ancient greek words , modern greek and european one

For example we can call Red like kokino (modern greek) or erithro (ancient Greek)
or mov (frankish word) for purple but also porfiro (ancient greek word). Use all the words

[Óttar]

Much has been Latinised including calendar months of year - Byzantine was a Roman Empire afterall.

Modern Greek is heavily Latin-based in structural syntax

How does Modern Greek differ from earlier Koine Greek? How did this occur?

[wvwvw]

How does Modern Greek differ from earlier Koine Greek? How did this occur?

I have made a thread about it awhile ago:

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/sho...e-modern-Greek

[catgeorge]

How does Modern Greek differ from earlier Koine Greek? How did this occur?

Its very understandable and don't think Greeks will have a problem adapting to it if introduced as standard language.

Βασίλισσα οὐδείς τῶν Ἀρχαίων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ βασίλεια ἢ βασιλίς.


Πάντοτε μὴ λέγε, ἀλλὰ ἑκάστοτε καὶ διὰ παντός.


Some isolated villages people still speak in some form of broken Koine Greek in everyday conversations and is completely understandable to the Modern Greek speaker.