where can one hear Macedonian spoken?

[canto]

I wanted to know what Macedonian sounded like, and the ancient Persian language. Can anyone tell me where I can find such a thing?This is a strange question, but what is the Persian word for the male penis?If anyone here knows the answer please don't feel afraid to speak of it.
lightofdawn

[marcus]

Well, for a start, that's a very dangerous question, because it depends on what you mean by 'Macedonian'. If you mean the 'Macedonian' that Alexander would have spoken, then I fear you won't hear it spoken at all nowadays ... or if it is spoken anywhere then we don't know about it, or don't recognise it as such.It's likely (although no-one can say absolutely for sure) that if you hear Greek spoken in northern Greece, and imagine it in the Greek version of a Yorkshire accent (or something), that it might be close ...As for Persian, I doubt you'll hear ancient Persian spoken anywhere, either, but we do at least know how it probably sounded ... perhaps a Pothosian who knows more Ancient Persian than I do can make a recording and post it to the site ...? :-)And I, for one, don't know what the ancient Persian for penis is. Sorry.ATBMarcusPS: If anyone starts talking about the modern (Slavic) language of the modern Macedonia, ignore them - it is *very, very* unlikely that it's *anything* like what Alexander spoke.

[Linda]

Do I sense soem slash fiction in the making...

[canto]

Linda you are so perceptive. Yes I wanted to try writing something but I know the question I threw out here was not in keeping with the pace of this site. I was in a strange mood yesterday, that's the reason I did it.But on the more serious side I really wondered about the Macedonian language. And by that I mean only what Alexander spoke, what sounds came out of his mouth. You know how it is, you just sometimes wonder what it would be like to be standing back there in the ancient time, listening.lightofdawn

[Linda]

Exactly - it is fascinating to imagine how people actually walked and talked, and what they ate..I don't think asking the word for penis is wrong..If someone knows, I will be impressed!
Linda

[marcus]

Of course, I shall now make it my life's work to discover the ancient Persian word for penis ...Marcus

[ruthaki]

The Macedonians were said to have spoken a rough Doric dialect but in court they also spoke more proper Greek (the educated folk). Even today there are dialects in the modern Greece so maybe the cloest you'd get would be the dialects of the Vlachs and northern shepherds.Now for the word 'penis'...would a Farsi word be equal close to it?

[Link]

Ignore the discrimination. You can hear the Ancient Macedonian and Persian language ties if you listen to the Macedonian speakers of North Greece in Agean Macedonia. I will guess, KURO (singular), KUROI (plural) (sp). It probably means "the big one".Greek State Television Airs Previously Banned Program That Exposes Persecution Against Macedonian Minority Greek Member State Committee of EBLUL
Parisis Athanasios
MAZARAKI 7a 59200 NAOUSA/NEGUSH - GREECE
Telefon: ++306972844412
E-mail: parisis@nao.forthnet.grNaoussa/Negush, 28.3.05 The Greek Member State Committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages expresses its contentment for the presentation (Sunday, 27.3.2005) of the documentary GÇ£Taxidevontas stin ElladaGÇ¥ (Traveling in Greece) by the 2nd channel of the Greek State Television (NET). The initial broadcast of the video (dedicated to Florina/Lerin region) was scheduled for 20.3.2005 but was postponed due to yet unknown-officially- reasons. According to the presenter, though, this decision was taken because inhabitants of a Florina/Lerin village stated on camera that the Greek state banned the use of their Macedonian mother tongue.After EBLULGÇÖs official protest for the ban of the broadcast and in cooperation with Greek Helsinki Monitor the issue was brought to the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) in Geneva. After the virulent criticism from the members of the Committee, GreeceGÇÖs representative claimed that the documentary was not broadcasted due to GÇ£technical reasonsGÇ¥ only and promised it would be aired on the 27th of March, as it eventually happened.The Greek Member State Committee of EBLUL wishes to thank the Greek Helsinki Monitor for its valuable help that led to the desired outcome, the broadcast of the video at its initial full length and content. Also expresses its gratitude to the UNHRC, the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO) and the Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada (MHRMC) for their contribution. EBLUL will continue to work closely with all the above mentioned and other international organizations, as well as with the Greek government, to further implement its core mission: the continuous promotion of the Lesser Used Languages in Greece and the European Union.Athanasios Parisis
President of GMSC of EBLUL

[canto]

Ruth, I think Farsi would do fine. ))
Kind Regards,
lightofdawn

[marcus]

For goodness' sake, Pela. I rarely allow myself to get annoyed by this sort of thing, but your insistence on posting all these things, which are totally irrelevant to Alexander, is extremely tiresome. It is also against the very few rules of this forum.Please stop, because it's boring. If you entered into some serious discussion about Alexander and his time, people would give you much more time of day, you know.All the bestMarcus

[lyla]

Re Farsi word for penis: Brace yourself, it's "dool"! There is an extensive discussion of naming private parts by Iranian parents athttp://parents.berkeley.edu/madar-pedar/disc8.htmlHaving a slow morning here, so I Googled "Farsi word for penis" and got 885 hits.Somehow, I doubt that "dool" will be an appropriate word for a slash fiction story - more likely to evoke laughter than arousal! There are some other slang terms listed, for both male and female genitalia. Good Luck & enjoy!

[smittysmitty]

It's likely (although no-one can say absolutely for sure) that if you hear Greek spoken in northern Greece, and imagine it in the Greek version of a Yorkshire accent (or something), that it might be close ...hmmm, now Marcus! this is a very opinionated statement based on? I do believe it's such comments that flare up the modern ethnicity arguments - arguments this forum does not whant to encourage - I assume. If it's felt acceptable for such comments to be allowed, then I can see no problem with the likes of Pella making his comments, after all they are at best only one's opinions - and opinion's is all they are!hope this didn't come accross to manacingly, wasn't meant to.
cheers!

[amyntoros]

Now, as somene who was born and grew up in Yorkshire, I think that Marcus' statement could only be considered opinionated if the person reading it thought there was something wrong with having a Yorkshire accent! :-)As it stands, I really don't think there's anything improper about his statement. When I lived in Doncaster I was well aware of elderly people who had an extremely strong dialect. (And I've still got a little bit of a Yorkshire accent after decades of living in the U.S.) It's always been considered that Macedonian was a dialect of Greek, so I can understand the comparison.Best regards,Amyntoros

[smittysmitty]

Hi Amyntoros,I'm a lIttle suprised with the following. It's always been considered that Macedonian was a dialect of Greek, so I can understand the comparison.By who?Exactly my point! such comments can only contribute to the ethnicity debate! I personaly don't have an issue with such discussion if it's attended to with scholarly enthusiasm, unfortunately good chance it won't happen here, so perhaps making such statements is best to avoid all together.Why is it acceptable that certain people can make, opinionated statements yet others can't? Your above statement is based on what?Yet you don't qualify it - and still others are reprimanded for their opinions. hmmm
just my thoughts
cheers!

[amyntoros]

Okay Smitty, I have an exam in a little over an hour so I'm writing this reply on the fly.First of all, I've read a few times over the years that the Macedonian language might have been a dialect of Greek. As to who said it, I can't recall off the cuff, and to be absolutely frank, I don't really care right now, although I'll be happy to "qualify" it later if you really want. However, right now I simply have to go on record as saying that I ought to be able to make such a statement without the ethnicity debate being brought up. What ancient Macedonian sounded like has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with any political or ethnic debate raging today. I really don't care whether it was a dialect of Greek or a completely different language. Why should I? This happened 2,300 years ago. Modern day politics have no bearing on this - none whatsoever.How the ancient Macedonians perceived themselves and how the Greeks perceived the ancient Macedonians; what their customs were; how they worshiped; and, yes, how they talked should always be debated within the context of the time period. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any political, cultural or ethnic debates happening today.I think there is a huge difference between posting information on modern day disputes about ethnic origin and language and saying that comparisons could be drawn between ancient Macedonian and a Yorkshire dialect. I have no emotional investment in the Greek/Macedonian debate and, quite frankly, I don't see how anything I said can be construed as resembling it in the slightest.B.R.Amyntoros