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Ioannis Tsikopoulos, a forgotten Macedonian schola

Articles

• Κρήτος, Δημήτριος
• Κρήτος, Δημήτριος

Macedonian scholar of the turn of the century. He was born in Kataphygi of Pieria in 1839 and died in Athens in 1912. He studied philology at the University of Athens and spent his whole life in educating the enslaved Macedonian Hellenism. He taught in various towns of Macedonia from 1867 to 1911 in a crucial period of its history. More specifically he offered his valuable services as a professor of Greek in the schools of Kozani, Edessa, Thessaloniki and Serres acting at the same time as administrative member of the associations for the education (Φιλεκπαιδευτικών Συλλόγων), in various places. In 1911 the then Greek state appreciating his contribution to the letters, appointed him as a member of the editorial committee for the Historical Dictionary of the Greek Language. He worked on this project in Athens until his death.His work as a writer is limited in number but, of great importance and value, consists mainly of linguistic studies. Among it are distinguished his essay of many pages «περί του Λεξικού τής καθ’ ημάς δημώδους γλώσσης» which was awarded the prize by the association «Korais» and his book «Βοηθός του δημοδιδασκάλου διά τάς όρθογραφικάς ασκήσεις».Some of his work published or not are: «Ιστορία των σχολείων της Θεσσαλονίκης», «Εκ των μυρίων δειγμάτων του ενιαίου της Ελληνικής γλώσσης», «Μακεδονικό γλωσσάριο» a.o. Tsikopoulos through his writings is advancing and supporting the position for the uniform, uninterupted character of the Greek language through the centuries. He considers the «popular language», that is the everyday language of his time, as the natural evolution of the uniform Greek language. His study for the Dictionary of the popular language reveals not only a sharp analyst of the phaenomena of the language but also a warm supporter of the much defamed popular (demotic) language.Ioannis Tsikopoulos with his unremitting contribution to the education and the letters is well-deservedly considered one of the most important intellectual and educational personalities of Macedonia during the last century before its liberation.

• History and Archaeology

• Ιστορία

856:https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/makedonika/article/view/5750, DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/makedonika.189

• http://makedonikajournal.org/index.php/makedonika/article/view/189