Death of Georges Galanes, modern Greek teacher at Inalco (2000-2023)

Fine connoisseur of the language, passionate about its history, he has trained several generations of students who remain marked by his competence, his desire to pass on, his great availability and kindness.

A graduate of the University of Athens in Greek and French Languages and Literatures (1988), he obtained his DEA degree in Literary Studies at Paris VII, under the direction of Julia Kristeva, Du sujet et du silence dans les romans de Samuel Beckett. In 1999, he defended his doctoral thesis at Inalco, under the supervision of Henri Tonnet, Le comique dans les comédies de la Renaissance crétoise et l'influence des comédies italiennes du XVIe siècle.

In 2000, he was recruited as a lecturer at Inalco after having taught there as a fellow, then as a language master. He has a particular interest in teaching Modern Greek phonetics and lexicology, subjects he taught during the first years of his recruitment. His close and fruitful collaboration with Professor Henri Tonnet, head of the Modern Greek section for many years, resulted in the publication of a two-volume Methode de grec moderne, as well as the publication, under his coordination, of a Modern Greek-French dictionary (1998).

After the publication of this first dictionary, his dream is to publish a major Modern French-Greek dictionary, using innovative lexicographical methods for the processing and presentation of entries and nomenclature. Using data from the Larousse platform (via Pataki Editions), he cleverly adapts the Greek material to provide the user with information that integrates contextual and interactional data, and goes far beyond the perimeter of the unit's lexical field (presentation by modules, phraseologisms, neologisms, registers), responding as effectively as possible to often complex needs. The dictionary, the product of several years' hard work, with its impeccable typography and perfect readability, was very well received in both Greece and France; Georges Galanes was very proud of it, and both Greek and French users were delighted.

Excellent didactician, his teaching at Inalco was dedicated to the fundamentals of the language, but also to the history and dialects of modern Greek, and finally to specialty Greek, a subject in which he had an excellent command thanks to his contrastive lexicographical knowledge. His latest book (in collaboration with Guo Jing), published in 2020, is entitled L'enseignement de l'oral en classe de langue, stimuli et évaluation, published by Editions des archives contemporaines, Collection "Plidam".

Georges Galanes headed the Modern Greek Section from 2013, with total dedication and great efficiency, until his health problems prevented him from dealing with heavy administrative loads and continuous solicitations. He devoted the last years of his life to his courses, which he taught until his last day.

His students, his colleagues in the Modern Greek Section, the Europe Department and the PLIDAM team mourn an admirable teacher-researcher, a friend, and a person of uncommon courage, strength in the face of adversity and benevolence.

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