What Language Did Plato Speak? (Helpful Content!)

Plato spoke ancient Greek, specifically the Athenian dialect Attic. Plato was born either in Athens or Aegina, but either way spent his life and studies in Athens and so would have used the Athenian dialect which was then considered the prestige form of ancient Greek. This is the language that his texts are written in.

Plato, despite his indescribable influence on western philosophy, is a somewhat enigmatic figure.

There are many details of his life that are unclear, and this is to be expected from someone who lived close to 2500 years ago.

We can only surmise, then, albeit with all but certainty, that Plato spoke ancient Greek and specifically Attic.

Let’s find out more.

What was Plato’s native language?

Plato’s native language would have been ancient Greek, more specifically the Attic dialect which was used in Athens at the time he lived.

This was the prestige form of ancient Greek, because it is important to be aware that there were many different forms of Greek being used across the Mediterranean at this time.

Greece was not a unified power in any real sense, but rather an association of autonomous city states.

Ancient Greek as we understand it today is largely based on the Attic dialect, as this is where the largest body of written work is found; philosophy, poetry, plays and other writings are predominantly written in Attic.

Athens, then, as you can perhaps gather, was really the centre of learning in ancient Greece.

This is not to diminish the intellectual achievements of the other city states, but most of the most well-known ancient Greek philosophers, authors and scientists came from Athens and thus wrote in Attic Greek.

Other dialects, such as the Doric Greek spoken by Spartans, are far more sparsely attested in literature.

Plato, then, is an immense figure in the history of western thought.

One writer famously said that all of western philosophy since his life was merely footnotes to his work. It’s impossible to overstate the impact he had on future centuries of thought and philosophy.

Ancient Greek was and is today held in prestige as a language that indicates great learning, and so it is no surprise that Plato spoke the most highly regarded and well-attested dialect of this ancient language.

On the other hand, though, there is some debate about where exactly Plato was born and raised.

This could call into question whether Attic was truly his “native” language; either way, it’s certainly the one he spent most of his life speaking.

Where did Plato live?

Plato lived most of his life in Athens.

As mentioned, Greece was formed of city states at this time, of which Athens was among the most powerful and certainly the greatest centre of learning.

So, regardless of where he may have come from, Plato was an Athenian through and through. With that said, when questioning what his native language was, it’s worth mentioning that the exact time and place of his birth are not known.

Most scholars today believe he was born either in Athens or Aegina. Aegina is an island around 17 miles from Athens, though; so either way he was an Athenian.

He founded his school of philosophy in Athens, and this is where he spent the vast majority of his life, though he may have travelled as widely as Italy, Sicily, Egypt, and Cyrene.

Again, though we can’t say much about Plato’s early life with certainty, it’s quite clear that he was an Athenian and thus his native language would have been Attic Greek.

Indeed, were it not for Plato’s work, the prestige of Attic in the modern world might be significantly diminished.

What language did Plato write in?

Naturally, we don’t have any way of hearing Plato speak—we can only surmise the language he used based on the place he lived and the language he wrote in.

Unsurprisingly, then, Plato wrote in Attic Greek, just as all his contemporary Greek Athenian philosophers did, such as Socrates and Aristotle.

The largest surviving body of Greek texts are all in Attic, and again this dialect of Greek is the basis for the modern study of ancient Greek.

Interestingly, though, Plato wrote almost entirely in what is called Socratic dialogue.

Almost everything he wrote was laid out as though it were people talking—in Attic Greek!

Did Plato know other languages?

The truth is we have no real way of knowing with any certainty if Plato spoke other languages, much less which languages he would have spoken.

He was naturally an immensely learned man, and the study of language was as important to the Athenians as it is to modern people today.

In all likelihood, then, he could probably have spoken other languages, but we can only guess at which ones.

Plato came out of a long tradition of Athenian literature and philosophy, so he could have got by perfectly fine knowing only Attic Greek.

So, again, there are naturally details of Plato’s life that are missing and forever lost to us. It is remarkable, when you think about it, that we know as much about him as we do, given the fact that he lived so long ago.

One thing we can say with certainty is that, given where he lived, the language he wrote in, and the people he kept company with, is that he would have spoken ancient Greek, and the Attic dialect.