Why does GREEK sound similar to/have similar phonology to the Romance languages?

[Sikeliot]

Greek is in its own branch of the Indo-European tree and is not particularly close, at this point, to any of the other existing branches. With that said, the sound of the Greek language, especially in regions of Greece least impacted by Slavic migration, sounds very similar to Romance languages.

There are some Romance dialects and languages, such as the Sicilian/Neapolitan group, which are obviously especially close sounding to Greek because the population at one point had been Greek-speaking and then became Romance-speaking.

But Greek also sounds very much like, and often most similar to, Spanish by sound alone, which there is no historical precedent for, and is not THAT far off from the sound of standard Italian.

Is it a coincidence? Is it because Latin and Greek speakers have lived in proximity to one another for millennia and this influenced their speech?

Another worthwhile question is why the Romance languages sound absolutely nothing like Welsh, Gaelic, or Breton considering that the Romance languages are most closely related to the Celtic languages. Is it more that Latin once sounded more like Celtic languages, and became more Greek-sounding due to proximity?

[rms2]

I don't agree. I hear Greek spoken on a regular basis, and to me it sounds nothing like the Romance languages, one of which, Spanish, I also hear on a regular basis.

[Sikeliot]

I don't agree. I hear Greek spoken on a regular basis, and to me it sounds nothing like the Romance languages, one of which, Spanish, I also hear on a regular basis.

What does it sound like to you then? There are some parts of Greece which might sound slightly Slavic-influenced in accent but other than that, Greek does closely resemble Spanish especially if you don't know either language well.

[rms2]

What does it sound like to you then? There are some parts of Greece which might sound slightly Slavic-influenced in accent but other than that, Greek does closely resemble Spanish especially if you don't know either language well.

They just don't sound alike to me and never have. We just don't hear them the same way, and that's okay.

Honestly, the only language I have ever heard that I might mistake for Greek is Armenian.

This young woman could also easily be mistaken for a Greek.

[passenger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPMqoHPJzac It does sound a bit like Castilian Spanish (spoken with "theta") to me (and other people, apparently)

[Sikeliot]

They just don't sound alike to me and never have. We just don't hear them the same way, and that's okay.

Honestly, the only language I have ever heard that I might mistake for Greek is Armenian.

This young woman could also easily be mistaken for a Greek.

Armenian sounds nothing like Greek to me at all.

[rms2]

Maybe I've heard too much of both Greek and Spanish to think they sound alike, because I don't think they sound anything alike.

I don't think French and Spanish sound alike either, yet both are Romance languages. Greek isn't even a Romance language.

[rms2]

Armenian sounds nothing like Greek to me at all.

Have you been around very many Greeks or Armenians?

I attend a Greek Orthodox Church, and I have an Armenian brother-in-law. I'm not fluent in either language, but to me they sound somewhat alike, certainly more alike than Spanish and Greek do.

I'm not saying Greek and Armenian are actually alike linguistically, and I can only talk about languages I have heard spoken. There may be some other language out there that sounds more like Greek than Armenian does, but it's not Spanish, not to me, anyway.

[Sikeliot]

Have you been around very many Greeks or Armenians?

I attend a Greek Orthodox Church, and I have an Armenian brother-in-law. I'm not fluent in either language, but to me they sound somewhat alike, certainly more alike than Spanish and Greek do.

But suit yourself.

Armenian sounds like Persian/Farsi, with a slight Slavic intonation. I don't hear any similarity to the sound of Greek. I am very familiar with the sound of Greek and when I hear Armenian I don't hear any similarity.

[Johnny ola]

There is Not a single language in modern world to sound close to the Greek Languange.As for greek language is Not 100% of indoeuropean roots but many of our words are of pelasgian/Neolithic ancestry.