J.C. Paulk
asked
Nora McKinney:
Do you find that the English language offers a better linguistic opportunity for your stories? Is it a hindrance? I was remembering that there were multiple forms of the word love in Greek, yet only one in English.
Nora McKinney
I can't really express myself in Greek. I think and write in English. I know I make mistakes, which I sometimes don't immediately catch, but I've been reading almost exclusively English books for many years as well as working in an English-speaking environment, and it would take substantially more effort to write in Greek.
Moreover, I do think that the English language is more versatile (and please, don't tell other Greeks I said that). Because of its unique origin as an amalgam of germanic and romance languages, and because of its successful appropriation of many foreign words, it makes it possible to express minuscule differences in meaning. What can I say, I just love English.
In Greek there's a different word for "romantic love" - "eros" - which actually also exists in English as a psychology term, but its derivatives ("erotic", "eroticism") are more widely used. So I suppose you could use that if you absolutely had to distinguish between the two kinds of love. I'm not aware of more words that mean "love" in Greek, and which don't have analogues in English.
Moreover, I do think that the English language is more versatile (and please, don't tell other Greeks I said that). Because of its unique origin as an amalgam of germanic and romance languages, and because of its successful appropriation of many foreign words, it makes it possible to express minuscule differences in meaning. What can I say, I just love English.
In Greek there's a different word for "romantic love" - "eros" - which actually also exists in English as a psychology term, but its derivatives ("erotic", "eroticism") are more widely used. So I suppose you could use that if you absolutely had to distinguish between the two kinds of love. I'm not aware of more words that mean "love" in Greek, and which don't have analogues in English.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more
Sep 13, 2019 08:39AM · flag
Sep 13, 2019 09:43AM · flag