GREEK, GREEK LEXICOGRAPHY

AND GREEK STUDIES IN SPAIN

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ ADRADOS

Complutense University of Madrid

T he organizing commitee of the present Conference, whose invitation I am

profoundly thankful for, asked me to present a report on the Diccionario
Griego-Español (DGE), which we publish in Madrid and whose fifth volume,
from δανυµι to δινυχος, has just appeared. In addition, the organizers asked me
to design a panoramic view on Greek studies in Spain.
I am going to try to address these requests. However, I cannot do it without
putting these great questions within a wider frame, which I think is interesting for
all: that of the Greek language and its place among the languages of the world. I
shall open my speech with a few words of presentation of the DGE, leaving a
more detailed exposition on it to Dr. Gangutia, who together with me, is at the
head of the staff of twenty people working on this project.
The work is being done under the patronage of the Consejo Superior de In-
vestigaciones Cientificas (Superior Council of Research) of Spain, in Madrid, on
the premises of the Institute of Philology, where we have at our disposal an ex-
cellent library on Greek studies, as well as scientific and administrative staff. Be-
sides this, we have received financial aid from the Spanish Education Ministry to
recruit additional staff. We are publishing now at the rate of a volume every three
years and are preparing a completely updated re-issue of the first volume.
When the Diccionario is finished it will be the most extensive dictionary of an-
cient Greek (from Mycenaean 13th century B.C. to 600 A.D.), compiled in a
modern language. Its size will be almost three times that of the biggest modern
dictionary of our times, the Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell-Scott-Jones. Our
Dictionary introduces semantic criteria in the internal organization of the entries
and uses the most up-to-date editions of ancient texts, inscriptions and papyri,
aiming at a well studied and advanced interpretation.
All western lexicography, as it is well known, descends from ancient Greek
lexicography, fundamentally of the hellenistic epoch. From then on, Greek lexi-
cography has progressed along a line which attained its highest level in the LSJ
Lexicon. But this excellent dictionary, despite the improvements made to it over
the period 1925-1940, culminating in its 9th edition and further supplements, does

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not do justice to the present state of the study of the Greek language.
Greek vocabulary is a truly inexhaustible subject. Every day new words ap-
pear in inscriptions, papyri and manuscripts, and our knowledge of them is con-
stantly improving. Just think that our canon of the DGE consists of 3,000 authors,
300 collections of papyri and 270 inscriptions.
That is why, as early as 1962, in a pre-computer era, we launched an appar-
ently Quixotic enterprise: to make a Greek dictionary from a modern, scientific
and more complete point of view. It was something absolutely necessary for a
more comprehensive knowledge of the Greek language and culture, the basis of
all Western culture.
It was also necessary to update several fields of the greek vocabulary: there
were important gaps to fill, such as the vocabulary of Mycenaean and Christian
Greek. It was necessary to compile a Mycenaean Dictionary by F. Aura Jorro, in
two volumes, 1983-93, which is today linked to the DGE by cross references. Sub-
sequently, we had to add a mass of new vocabulary from Christian texts as well as
proper nouns and toponymes, which LSJ does not include. In addition, all this doc-
umentation had to be revised through a given edition for each text. Finally, we also
added a separate paragraph on etymology, which in itself represents an innovation.
All this work has been done by combining and directly studying texts, index-
es, concordances, lexica, editions with commentaries and diverse bibliography.
At a certain moment we introduced computer methods for data storing and oth-
er purposes. This assisted our work greatly and made our pace quicker: we now
publish a new volume every three years, and we are also preparing a new, com-
puterized edition of volume I. But we must stress that computers do not exclude
entirely the direct study of sources and bibliography; besides this we have to write
and edit every entry. Computers, as I observed, assist us greatly. But Dr. Gangutia
will tell you more on this subject.
Now I shall pass on to the second theme which has been assigned to me: the
study of Greek, both ancient and modern, in Spain today. Only within this context
can the birth of our Greek-Spanish Dictionary be understood.
The study of ancient Greek is currently flourishing in Spain, even at a time
when its instruction is encountering certain difficulties. Today there are in Spain
hundreds of students of ancient Greek, which is being taught at secondary school
level and, in parallel with Latin, is a branch of study in almost all universities.
There are also many specialized periodicals dedicated to ancient Greek and also
other publications such as translations and monographs.
To begin with, all this renewed interest had its starting point in 1938, when the
Greek language became a compulsory subject in secondary education. Subse-
quently, it lost some ground, but the initial spark had been given. Before our Civ-
il War, Greek was not taught at secondary level: the well known Instituto Escuela

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of Madrid, which had Greek as an optional subject, was an exception. At a uni-

versity level, its learning was restricted to the universities of Madrid, Salamanca
and Barcelona. Besides, two of the best known professors of Greek, Unamuno
and Segala died in the course of the Civil War.
So the teaching of Greek had to be improvised. There were not at that time
enough professors of Greek in Spain. That is why compulsory teaching of Greek at
secondary school level was, for the time being, more theoretical than real. Possibly,
the legislators had gone beyond the real capabilities of the country at that time.
But soon an increasing number of Spanish teachers of Greek in secondary ed-
ucation started to form a coherent body. Furthermore, three departments of Clas-
sical philology became active in Madrid, Salamanca (where I come from) and
Barcelona. This was later extended to Seville and Granada. The teaching meth-
ods, which were initially inadequate, became much better. Everything was in short
supply: grammars, manuals, reference books. With the help of translations and
with books written directly in Spanish, the deficiencies were eventually overcome.
The problems involved in teaching Greek began in the fifties due to several
succesive reforms in secondary school education. In 1970, the teaching of Greek
almost disappeared from the curriculum of the first three forms of secondary
school. The endeavours of the Sociedad Española de Estudios Clasicos (SEEC)
and of many other advocates of classical studies ensured its continuity and that of
the Latin language as well. However instruction in the two languages was now re-
duced to two years and became optional. This brought a feeling of discourage-
ment, but, even when threatened, the teaching of Greek survived, excellent pupils
became interested in it and the number of secondary school teachers of Greek
continued to increase.
Subsequently, we had to face yet another reform in secondary school teaching,
which began to be implemented in 1984 and became law in 1991. The two years of
Greek and Latin instruction were kept, but under more adverse conditions for se-
lection. Currently, another reform is being planned, which is supposed to benefit
all humanistic subjects. We hope that the learning of Greek shall profit from this,
but the new programme of studies for the first three years of secondary school has
not yet been finalized.
If ancient Greek has survived in our country, it is because there exists in Spain
a sector of cultivated people who acknowledge the ties that we and all European
cultures have with the Hellenic past. It is also because these advocates of ancient
Greek in Spain enjoy a certain prestige.
This prestige derives from the increased interest in learning ancient Greek at
the universities, the increase in publications on the subject and our presence in the
general Spanish cultural world at large: in books and in newspapers, at lectures,
congresses, theatrical performances, on archaeological trips, etc.

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146 FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ ADRADOS

We have mentioned the progressive growth of Greek studies in the universi-

ties, starting with the departments of Classical philology in Madrid, Salamanca,
Barcelona, Seville and Granada, all of which have long traditions in humanistic
studies. Now we have Classical philology sections in the Universities of Oviedo,
Valencia, Malaga, Santiago, Valladolid, Murcia, La Laguna, Zaragoza. Even in
cases where there is no Classical philology department and the studies are limit-
ed, Greek may be learned at Universities in Pamplona, Leon, Basque country, Ex-
tremaduras, Alicante, Las Palmas, Palma de Mallorca and at the Universidad a
Distancia or Open University, among others, and also at several university col-
leges in different towns.
On the other hand, Greek, as an optional subject, is included in the curricula
of several departments of History and Philosophy, where it is possible to find
studies on the philosophy, literature and archaeology of Ancient Greece.
This expansion has resulted in improvements in the libraries. Still, the most
important are in Madrid (at the Consejo Superior, and at several universities),
Salamanca and Barcelona. The situation has improved considerably everywhere
and it is now possible to work very efficiently on ancient Greek throughout Spain.
We have already mentioned the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifi-
cas, whose Institutes of Philology and History are very active in our field. At the for-
mer, which is responsible for the publication of the DGE, you will find Alma Mater,
a collection of Classical Greek and Latin authors in bilingual format, as well as
Emerita, the oldest and most prestigious of the Spanish periodicals in our field. Re-
lated periodicals, such as Archivo Español de Arqueologia on ancient history and ar-
chaeology, are also published by the Institute of History of the Consejo Superior.
All this expansion in Greek studies and in the number of centres dedicated to
the study of Ancient Greek, has resulted in hundreds of people pursuing different
aspects of these studies in Spain today.
This increased interest has been reflected in activities such as scientific con-
gresses. At the 7th National Congress of the Sociedad Española de Estudios Clási-
cos (SEEC), which took place in September 1987, there were over 1,500 partici-
pants and more than 300 papers were presented. Similar congresses took place in
1991 and 1995.
Another important indication of interest in Greek studies in Spain is the pub-
lication of scientific periodicals. Besides the two quoted above, we may mention
others, which also deal with subjects related to the Latin language and philology,
such as Quadernos de Filologia Clásica and Epos, published in Madrid; Faventia
and Ampurias, published in Barcelona; Myrtia, published in Murcia; Habis, pub-
lished in Seville; Zephyrus and Helmantica, published in Salamanca; Minerva,
published in Valladolid; Florentia Iliberritana, published in Granada, and Fortu-
natae, published in La Laguna.

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GREEK, GREEK LEXICOGRAPHY AND GREEK STUDIES IN SPAIN 147

The growth in Greek studies is also reflected in the publication of new edi-
tions and translations of ancient texts. I have already mentioned the collection Al-
ma Mater, which has published more than sixty volumes. In addition, the pub-
lishing house Bosch brings out bilingual texts in the collection Bernat Metge. We
must also mention the translations edited by Alianza, Cátedra, Ediciones Clásicas,
Akal, and others. The largest series of translations is by Gredos, with 250 titles.
This meant a complete revision of translations from ancient Greek into Span-
ish, something which was badly needed because language and literary style change
and we had at our disposal translations which followed the tradition of the nine-
teenth century. Today, a person wishing to read Homer or Thucydides in Spanish
may choose between four or more translations of either author. The majority are
accurate translations made directly from the originals.
These are not the only activities that contribute to the knowledge of ancient
Greece in Spain. We must mention also performances by theatrical companies
from Spain, Greece and other countries. And we must make here a special men-
tion of the student performances which draw thousands of spectators to the Ro-
man theatre of SegJbriga during the month of May.
Trips to visit the monuments of Greek antiquity in Greece, Italy and other
places should not be forgotten. There is not one person in Spain interested in our
field who has not visited the monuments and archaeological sites of Greece.
But I don’t want to end this part of my speech without making a further ref-
erence to the activities of the SEEC. It was founded in 1953 and today has 5,000
members in twenty two branches around the country. It is governed by a Central
Board, of which I am currently president. The SEEC has contributed decisively
towards maintaining and improving the study of Greek and Latin in Spain, as a re-
sult of its campaigns and representations to educational authorities. Every four
years it organizes the Congresos Españoles de Estudios Clásicos, which I have al-
ready mentioned. Twice a year it publishes the periodical Estudios Clásicos, which
is partly scholarly and partly didactic and informative.
This is only a brief description of the studies related to ancient Greek in
Spain. In the decade following the 1940s there was, in Spain and in other coun-
tries, an expansion in the scientific or didactic aspects of these studies. Even when,
as I said earlier, we may have had problems in secondary and higher education.
I shall finish my speech, by referring briefly to the study of modern Greek in
Spain. I think it will be of interest to you all.
The study of modern Greek has grown greatly in Spain since the 1960s, and
especially of late. I have been more of a spectator than a participant in this move-
ment, but I think I have on several occasions done a few things to support it. And
I did so, because at a certain point, I arrived at the conclusion, through personal
experience, that the Greek language and culture are united.

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It is true that, historically, both our countries have remained apart for long pe-
riods of time. Byzantium was a faraway land, with which there were sporadic con-
tacts. Then, the Ottoman empire was for a long time a hostile world which, with
the episodic exception of the Battle of Lepanto, we encountered, far away from
Greece, in North Africa.
But contacts existed, which I described in a paper published in the periodi-
cal Estudios Clásicos, with the title: España y Grecia en su historia (Adrados
1992). This paper was read in Greek, in the spring of the same year, when I was
made an honorary member of the Athens Academy, which subsequently pub-
lished the Greek text.
I don’t want to repeat what I said then. But I do want to recall that in that pa-
per I pointed out, rather melancholically, that our contacts had been occasioned
by wars and conflicts: the Catalan campaign in the East, the fall of Constantino-
ple and the consequent arrival of Greek erudites in Italy and Spain; the expulsion
of the Jews, many of whom settled in Greece; the war of Greek independence, in
which Spanish philhellenes took part.
But afterwards, in the first part of this century, there was a certain literary ac-
quaintance. Let’s remember the relation between Unamuno and Kazantzakis, the
impact on the Spanish cultural world of the famous cruise to Greece in 1933, in
which so many future personalities in several fields of Spanish culture took part.
But perhaps the ground was not yet ready for proceeding further. And be-
sides, what was a great catastrophe for Spanish culture arrived: the Civil War.
As I have already said, when in the educational plans of 1938 the study of clas-
sical Greek was expressly included, and a group of secondary school teachers, fol-
lowed by university professors, began to be formed, the way was opened for growth.
Then, at the beginning of the 1950s, travel to Greece became easier for philologists
and archaeologists. We were welcome in Greece, where, at the same time, a growing
movement for studying and translating Spanish literature had begun.
All this means that the question of the study of modern Greek proceeds log-
ically in Spain only from the study of ancient Greek. It is in the university de-
partments of Classical Philology that modern Greek studies have been introduced
effectively for the first time.
I may speak on behalf of the University of Madrid, then the only one in Madrid,
today called Complutense. In the sixties, taking advantage of the possibility of the
introduction of certain optional subjects, the late Prof. Fernandez Galiano and I
took the initiative of proposing one in modern Greek and recommending travels to
and stays in Greece for people interested in these studies. I recall, among the first
at the time, the names of Goyita Nuñez (who very soon taught modern Greek at the
University), José Ma Egea, Pedro Badenas and many others who followed. That is
how a school for the study of modern Greek was started in Spain: my only contri-

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bution is that I helped in its creation together with Prof. Fernandez Galiano.
As I have said, there were at that time in Spain only three departments of
Classical Philology: in Madrid, Salamanca and Barcelona. During the sixties, there
appeared a modern Greek movement more or less parallel to the one I described
at Madrid. It was promoted by Prof. José Alsina and his student Carles Miralles.
Following them were Alexis Eudaldo Solá and others. The publication (1966) of
La literatura griega medieval y moderna (with an Anthology) by Alsina and Mi-
ralles and their article in Estudios Clásicos (1963), entitled: La literatura griega
moderna: esbozo histJrico y bibliográfico, was a pioneering effort that exerted
enormous influence.
These are the grounds which made possible the development of modern
Greek and Byzantine studies in the sixties and seventies. In the beginning, Span-
ish professors of Classical Philology participated in this movement; however, we
must also mention Greek scholars established in Spain and add a third nucleus of
interest: that of Spanish poets who, impressed by the splendor of modern Greek
poetry, decided to study the language and subsequently translated and assimilat-
ed the works of Greek poets. Some of them had also studied Classical philology.
If I should make an up-to-date survey of modern Greek studies in Spain, I
should refer to the universities and other centres of learning, to the scientific so-
cieties and congresses, to the translations of Greek literature, and to publications
in general. I shall now proceed to do this but would like to be excused for its
summary character. And I shall close my paper with a reference to the future of
these studies in Spain.
Modern Greek is taught, as I said, in several universities as an optional sub-
ject in the Departments of Classical Philology, and also in foreign language insti-
tutes, especially in the Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas (State Language Schools).
It is an encouraging picture, when compared with that of only a few years ago.
I do not think this is the place to provide a list of the professors, which I would be
forced to leave incomplete. On the other hand, I must mention here the courses
in Thessaloniki and Athens, which have done much to encourage the growth of
these studies in Spain. There are also other courses in Greece, organized by Greek
and Spanish professors.
In practice, activities in the field of modern Greek are no longer confined to
those within the scope of our national centres. There is a Sociedad Hispano-Heléni-
ca, which recently organized symposia in Madrid, Vitoria and Granada. And I would
like to make a special mention of the symposium on: La presencia de la lengua grie-
ga en España, which took place at Delphi in September 1992. A large group of Span-
ish and Greek hellenists, specialists in several epochs of the Greek language and cul-
ture, gathered there. The symposium was organized by the Greek Ministry of Culture,
the Greek Embassy in Madrid, and the Instituto Cultural Español en Atenas.

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All this has kept pace with the gradual setting up of libraries with Byzantine
and modern Greek bibliography in several universities and the creation of in-
struments for the teaching of modern Greek. We have to mention here the pub-
lication of the periodical Erytheia, published by the Sociedad Hispano-Helénica;
also, there has been space reserved for these studies in the publications of the So-
ciedad Española de EC.
The existence today of many translations of neo-hellenic literature has had a
more general repercussion. I am thinking, in the first place, of the works of Kazantza-
kis, who long ago opened the path to many other authors. It is impossible to provide
here the complete list of authors and translators. I want to mention Elitis, Kara-
panou, Kavafis, Samarakis, Seferis, Tsatsos, Venezis, Ritsos, Anagnostakis, Koutso-
heras, Babatsikos, etc. Modern Greek literature is no longer an unknown subject in
Spain, just as modern Spanish literature is no longer unknown in Greece.
This is a process in which we are not alone: in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and
Mexico, there is growing interest in the Greek language and literature. This has
affected the cultivated public in general, but especially scholars of classical antiq-
uity. So, the future prospects are good. Let us say something about them.
At university level, it is important that what already exists be expanded; we
have already said something about that. In addition to the universities, we have
the language schools: at the moment there are three which offer modern Greek.
This number should be increased.
Furthermore, in secondary education there is a propitious field for the intro-
duction of modern Greek as an optional subject under the concept of “second lan-
guage”. The Sociedad Española de EC, which, as I said, I have the honour to be
president of, has made strong requests to the education authorities to provide
the necessary measures for this to be realised.
This is the state of things. There has been immense progress, but there is an
open field for further expansion. However, it is necessary that those who pursue
the study of the different periods of Greek language studies co-operate and not
become divided.
And with this consideration, I conclude the ambitious attempt to place our
DGE in the general frame of Greek language studies and also in the cultivation of
ancient and modern Greek studies in Spain.

And that is all. EυχαριστO πολ,.

References
ADRADOS, R. 1992. España y Grecia en su historia. Estudios Clásicos 102.
ALSINA, J. 1963. La literatura griega moderna: esbozo histórico y bibliográfico. Estudios Clásicos.
ALSINA, J. & C. MIRALLES. 1966. La Literatura griega, medieval y moderna. Barcelona: Cresda.

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