February 9th is International Greek Language Day, chosen to coincide with Dionysios Solomos Commemoration Day, Greece’s “national poet” who wrote “Hymn to Freedom” of which the first two verses became the Greek national anthem. From antiquity to the present day, the Greek language has been a catalyst for freedom of thought and speech through the bright light of Hellenism which brought science, art, philosophy, law, literature, athletics, history, and democracy to the world.
Voltaire famously stated: “May the Greek language be common for all people.” Philologist Francisco Rodriguez Adrados states: “Greek is the first language in the world. The Greek language is not only alive in Greece, but has a second life; its alphabet, vocabulary, syntax and literature are present in all languages.”
As Greeks, we have not just a national heritage, but a world heritage language to preserve, revitalize, and be active ambassadors of – each of one us has a vital role to play towards this cause.
That is why we created Ellinopoula, to provide Greek schools, teachers, and parents of the Diaspora a unique e-learning platform to revitalize the Greek language and Hellenism in young kids around the world. Greek Diaspora kids learn Greek better with an appropriate structure to support their learning efforts within the context of teaching Greek as a Heritage Language. That led to the Learning Path, Ellinopoula’s customized step-by-step method for maintaining and increasing kids’ interest in learning Greek. The Learning Path is designed for children starting at a level of little to no Greek and takes only 5 minutes a day to get kids learning Greek!
