From: vkb57@cas.org ()
Subject: Re: What sort of History is this?
Organization: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, Ohio
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 04:43:04 GMT

In article <92350.171643PXP111@psuvm.psu.edu> <PXP111@psuvm.psu.edu>  Andronikos Romanos writes:
>
>V.B.  complained  that  when in the past he quoted something from
>encyclopedias I found them far from convincing.
- - - - -
>V.B says that Britannica supports his particular point.
>I sincerely believe that the four lines there  are also inadequa-
>te.  For example,  there is  NO MENTION  there  that a great deal
- - - - - - - -
>V.B. also added that "That is the concensus of the historians the
>way we the nonhistorians see it."
- - - -
>Vasil: and the Harvard Encyclopedia of Minoirities, that Gregory
>       had quoted on another topic few days before.
- - - - - -
>Vasil: You did not quote any Encyclopedias.
- - - - - - -
>I accept that Ostrogorski is not an encyclopedia  in the sense it
>goes chronologically,  but again,  it is a  "bit" more proper for
>history...

I am not a historian nor do I have a significant amateur interest in medieval
history.  I posted these brief quotes from highly reputable encyclopedias only
after I was fed up by claims on the net,  repeated many dozens of times,  that
Macedonia has always been Greek and now some Slavomacedonians are daring to
doubt that.  I picked Britannica in particular because of its reputation and
because is accessible to practically anyone.  When Gregory brought to the net
the Harvard encyclopedia I posted the practically identical quote form there
too.  I vaguely remember seing a quote from the Larousse also and I think it
is also very close.  All these encyclopedias make it very clear that the
statement the Macedonia has always been Greek couldn't be further from the
truth,  and I firmly believe that.  That is pretty much the extent of my
interest on the subject.  I also doubt that any further details bear any
significant relevance to todays political problems on the Balkans.
>
>I said:  Whatever happened with the test of the Macedonians I as-
>         ked you to call  and  check  the theory  that they would
>         speak in a language other than Greek?
>
>Vasil: As far as your  proposed test  of calling the official Pan
>       Macedonian Office number to find out whether or not "these
>       Slavophones,  who  use Greek  in their official functions,
>       speak Macedonian among themselves,"  I really thought that
>       you would have figured how reliable the test was by now.
>
>PLEASE ELABORATE. You could check whether your text was accurate.
>Unfortunately I do not know Bulgarian or other Slavonic languages
>to do it myself. You would talk to them in a non-official way...
>It would between you and me.                 ::::::::::::
>A personal favor.

There is a large number of Macedonians in Columbus and I know many of them.
Some of them have Greek names,  attend the Greek church,  and are considered
parts of the Greek community.  Still,  Macedonian is their primary language
and they speak it practically all they long.  I have talked to a number of them.

Medieval history may or may not be a strong point of the author of the Chapter
on Macedonians in the Harvard encyclopedia,  but I found his text on this
ethnographic-aspect point extremely accurate.
>> Vasil Babamov
>                A.Romanos
				  Vasil Babamov

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