Now, the news is okay. I can understand almost all of it these days. Aimilia and her colleagues speak very good Greek. People being interviewed generally do, though not always.
Other programmes aren't always so easy to follow, particularly dramas and comedies. One of the shows I watch a couple of times a week is "Istories tou horkou", or "Tales of the Village". This is a situation comedy. In Cypriot (rather than standard) Greek.
Maritsa (centre) with Mr and Mrs Mouxtari (? I think)Once or twice I've been able to follow what's going on, just about, but most of the time I'm fairly clueless. As its name suggests, it's set in a village. There is a coffee shop, run by Petsouna, priests riding mopeds, and a girl who keeps talking to Russians on the phone. Tonight they appeared to be trying to console Petsouna's father, since she had mentioned something about her mother, who died 10 years before, which upset him. So they dressed up one of the policemen in drag and tried to set him up with Petsouna's dad, who insisted on checking his (her?) teeth. Then his wig fell off...
All very strange. I don't understand why Mr Mouxtari was bandaging up the girl that works in his shop (the one with Russian friends) to make his wife and Maritsa think she'd been in hospital... There are lots of cries of "Kyrie Eleeson" and "Mana mou" - the Catholics in the audience will recognise the first of these, if I've spelt it right.
What's great is that it was hearing Cypriots talk as a child that made me want to learn Greek. I never thought I'd be able to learn any Cypriot, since it's not used in formal situations (such as on the news, or in books), and Cypriot words aren't found in dictionaries. But I'm starting to think that I might have a fighting chance, if I watch enough telly.
Who said TV was bad for you? It's educational...
12 comments:
FIRST!!!!!!!
Finally
I am
Really
Sitting On
Top!!!!
I like to watch the Spanish soaps. I have no idea what they're saying but you can get the idea from all the drama going on. Plus they have more slap fights than regular soaps. American soaps have become so boring.
Tracy:
I thought everyone had exhausted the original possibilities for "First", I'm glad you've proved me wrong!
In "Istories tou horkou" they seem to spend a lot of time running around. Given that they're in a village, they're not running far. They also slap each other quite a bit...
next time the dude better check more than his date's teeth
what's with all the slapping?
I'm missing out
Jean Knee:
It might just be the fact that my lunch this afternoon consisted of five pints of Guinness, but you just got a very rare and very loud laugh... I don't think you can tell from teeth, can you?
If you want more slaps, maybe you should change your satellite TV provider...
Now I want to watch your show if there's slapping going on. I love a good slap!
Brian-Are you saying that Jean Knee laughs like a man? Women don't like to hear that kind of stuff.
Tracy:
No, I was saying that I laughed out loud at Jean Knee's comment about the teeth...
There's not a lot of slapping. Some of it is done with sticks, and everyone including the priests join in.
Sounds like a knock off of Friends to me!
On;y there's no old people. Or people who talk to Russians. Or dead mother's. And it's in English. But other than that...
Bee:
I think you might be right - the similarities are uncanny...
I'd rather watxh a blue screen. Do they still air "the Benny Hill Show" over there?
He made all British proud.
Dan,
I don't watch British TV, but BH died years ago. Comedy doesn't age well, but his brand of smutty British humour follows a long tradition that you can still see in things like saucy postcards.
I heard his hit record "The Fastest Milkman in the West" on the pub jukebox recently:
Ernie
It sucks that he's dead, amazing how they caught it on video with the spirit coming out of his body.
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