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Table 1 Linguistic descent with modification spanning nearly three millenniaa

From: Q&A: What is human language, when did it evolve and why should we care?

Word

Homeric Greek

Modern Greek

One

eis

(είς)

ena

(ένα)

Day

emar

(ήμαρ)

emera

(ημέρα)

Two

dyo (thuo)

(δύο, δύω)

dyo

(δυο)

Father

pater

(πατήρ)

pateras

(πατέρας)

To eat

etho

(έδω)

faei

(φάει)

Bird

ornis

(όρνις)

pouli

(πουλί)

  1. aHomeric Greek of the Iliad dates from ~750 BCE. Words in bold have been replaced in Modern Greek