″Voice of Greece,” ERT’s global radio station, honors Greek Language Day, celebrated annually on February 9—the day of remembrance for our national poet Dionysios Solomos—with special tributes and distinguished guests…of all ages, from all around the world!
Linguists, teachers from Greek schools and Modern Greek Studies departments abroad, professors, and historians will participate in broadcasts, discussing the richness and vibrancy of the Greek language. Additionally, leaders of Greek diaspora organizations worldwide will share details about their planned celebrations.
Greek children from schools abroad will also be featured, with podcasts airing throughout the week (09/02/25 – 16/02/25).
More specifically:
Friday, February 7
At 10:00 AM (Athens time), the tribute kicks off with “Take Your Time”, where host Prokopis Agelopoulos welcomes linguist and poet Penelope Michalakopoulou.
At 1:00 PM, the radio documentary series “Unguarded Passage” with journalist Thomas Sideris explores the historical and social landscape of Thrace, through its local dialects. Guest speaker: Penelope Kampaki-Vougioukli, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Democritus University of Thrace.
Saturday, February 8
At 12:00 PM, “Our Town”, hosted by Themis Rodamitis, features Professor Giannis Korinthios, a key figure in the establishment of World Greek Language Day and a prominent leader of the Greek diaspora in Italy.
At 1:00 PM, Marilena Katsimi presents “Historical Walks”, narrating “The Adventures of the Greek Language”, with expert guests.
At 4:00 PM, Mina Ralli welcomes Christoforos Charalambakis, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, discussing the timeless nature and multi-layered meaning of the Greek language in “Remarkable Personalities”.
Sunday, February 9
On the official celebration day, a special podcast series “The Greek Language Is…” launches, featuring children aged 8–14 from Greek schools abroad sharing their unique perspectives on the Greek language.
Participants include students from historic Greek schools such as the Greek National School of Vienna, Zografeion in Istanbul, Greek schools in Egypt, Saheti School in Johannesburg, as well as schools in Germany, Melbourne, Madagascar, Congo, and more. (Podcasts will be available from February 9 to 16 at https://vog.ert.gr/podcast.)
At 10:00 AM, Ariadni-Sofia Kouri answers “Why is the Greek language so… cool?”, tracing its evolution and new additions to its vocabulary.
At 11:00 AM, the English-language show “Infinitely Curious”, with Katerina Batzaki, explores the world of ancient Greek music. Composer and musician Nikos Xanthoulis will perform ancient Greek texts on the ancient lyre, while Dr. Armand d’Angour, Professor of Classics at the University of Oxford, will discuss the revival of ancient Greek music.
At 6:00 PM, Thanasis Houpis interviews Maria Paschali, Lecturer of Greek Language at the University of Belgrade, in “Hellenes Everywhere”.
Monday, February 10
At 9:00 AM, Dimitris Godevenos, a teacher in Uruguay’s Greek schools, speaks with Nikolas Angelidis on “Time in Greece”.
At 10:00 AM, Giorgos Dionysopoulos hosts Mirco D’Angelo, a Modern Greek teacher at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci High School, on “Greece in the World”.
At 12:00 PM, Natasa Vissarionos connects with Professor Stavroula Nikoloudi, head of the Greek Studies program at La Trobe University in Melbourne, in “Faraway Words”.
