This outstanding monograph is the first reliable, balanced, and thorough study of the notorious "linguistic issue" in Greece over the last two centuries.

Drawing on numerous sources (literary, historical, or political in nature), many of which have not been utilized until now, leading Modern Greek scholar Peter Mackridge explains why the disagreements over the "correct" form of Greek gained such significance in contemporary Greece.

At the center of Mackridge's interest are the various (often conflicting) ideologies that developed around the Greek language, as well as the impacts these ideologies have had on the very language as it is spoken and written today.

With the assistance of sciences such as linguistics, philology, and anthropology, the author explores the influence of these ideologies on the formation of Greek national identity.

The subject of the book is particularly timely today, as the perception of national and linguistic identity that has dominated for two centuries is now confronted with factors that will inevitably affect it.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]