Definition

Noun 1. The Attic-Ionic dialect of Ancient Greek: This term refers specifically to the form of the Ancient Greek language that was spoken and written primarily in the regions of Attica (including Athens), the Ionian islands, and parts of Asia Minor's coast. It is the dialect in which many foundational works of Western literature, philosophy, and history were composed during the Classical period (roughly 5th-4th centuries BCE).

Usage

Classical Greek is used as a proper noun to identify this specific historical dialect and literary language. - The plays of Sophocles and Euripides were written in Classical Greek. - Scholars study Classical Greek to read the original texts of Plato and Aristotle. - The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, a later development from Classical Greek.

Advanced Usage

• As a linguistic standard: The term often implies the standardized, literary form of the language that became the model for later periods, distinguished from earlier Homeric Greek and later Hellenistic (Koine) Greek.
• In academic contexts: It is used to specify the language of a particular historical era and cultural output, as opposed to Modern Greek.

Variants and Related Words

• Attic Greek: A more specific term often used synonymously with Classical Greek, referring to the dialect of Athens, which became the dominant literary form.
• Ancient Greek: A broader term encompassing all dialects and stages of the Greek language from its earliest records to the end of antiquity, which includes Classical Greek as a major subset.
• Homeric Greek: The earlier, primarily poetic dialect used in the epic poems of Homer.
• Koine Greek: The common dialect that developed after the Classical period, based largely on Attic Greek but with simplifications, which became the lingua franca of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds.

Synonyms

• Attic Greek (when referring specifically to the Athenian literary standard)
• Attic-Ionic Greek

Notes on Meaning

This term has a precise, historical-linguistic meaning. It does not refer to: - The general culture or art of ancient Greece (which is "Classical Greece"). - The modern Greek language. - A style of architecture or music (which would be "classical" as a general adjective).

Noun

1. the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken and written in Attica and Athens and Ionia