# Help translating to Greek.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 5, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253 "2015-03-05T06:12:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/1 "2015-03-05T06:12:45Z")

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How would one say “Sparta Lives” in Greek? What about Ancient Greek? Bonus points for proper characters along with transliteration. Thanks in advance!

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**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/2 "2015-03-05T07:38:33Z")

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For modern Greek:  
Η Σπάρτη ζεί. Phonetic: Ee SPAR-tee zee. UN transliteration: I Sparti zi.

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/3 "2015-03-05T18:18:19Z")

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Ancient Greek:

ἡ Σπάρτη ζᾷ

Pronounced:

hay SPAR-tay ZDAHH (or use a z: zahh but try to get a d sound added to the z sound)

In the Doric dialect of the Spartans themselves:

ἁ Σπάρτα σδᾷ

Pronounced:

hahh SPART-ahh SDAHH

Spartans probably would say Lacedaemon instead of Sparta (or maybe Lacedaemonia?)

ἁ Λακεδαίμων σδᾷ

hahh Lak-e-DIE-moan SDAHH

In all the above, by ‘ahh’ I mean the pronunciation as used in ‘ahh, yes, I see’.

Syllables in all caps are accented. Give them a higher pitch, or just use regular English stress accent. The accent on SDAHH/ZDAHH starts fully accented and tapers off as you say the syllable.

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/4 "2015-03-06T06:52:15Z")

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Thanks guys. I was not aware that they actually used the word Sparta at all. I knew they called it Lacedaemon, but I thought that was the only word for Sparta. I figured the name Sparta just came later or straight from English like the way we call Deutschland Germany or something like that.

As an aside, can you elaborate on why they called it both Lacedaemon _and_ Sparta? Was it a nickname or something like that?

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**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/5 "2015-03-06T11:33:43Z")

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“Sparte” or “Sparta” was the proper place name of the city state.  
“Lakedaimon” was the name of a mythical king. By referring to the state as Lakedaimon or Lakedaimonia, they evoked past glories and legends. It was a personification of the state, like Britannia for Britain, Marianne for France, or even Uncle Sam for the US.

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**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/6 "2015-03-06T11:36:23Z")

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> [@Vaevictis](#):
>
> hay SPAR-tay

Are you sure they added those “y” sounds? Seems rather unlikely to me.

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-to-greek/714253/7 "2015-03-06T14:22:45Z")

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By ‘tay’ I just mean to represent phonetically a long ‘a’ as in the word ‘fate’.