Modern Greek Dialects

The main dialects of Modern Greek.

The Greek or demotic dhimotik () refers to all varieties of "popular" in modern Greek that have evolved since the common Koine and held until today a high degree of mutual understanding. As shown ptochoprodromiques poems and Digenis Akritas , Greek demotic was before the ^eleventh century already the vernacular, the "romance" of the Byzantine Greeks , including Greek mainland, the Greek islands , the coasts of Asia Minor , to Constantinople and Cyprus. Today, a standardized form of demotic Greek is the official language of the Hellenic Republic (Greece) and Cyprus and is listed as "Standard Modern Greek" or simply " Modern Greek "or demotic.

Demotic Greek has many regional variations with minor differences in language (especially phonological and vocabulary). Because of their high degree of mutual understanding, Greek linguists call these varieties of "idioms" of a "dialect demotic more generally known under the name" Modern Greek Koine (Koine Neoellinik - "neo-Hellenic Common ). Most linguists speak English to them as "dialects" by not highlighting the changes only when necessary. The varieties of Greek demotic are divided into two main groups, the northern group and southern group:

Among the dialects of the north is the roumlien , the Epirus , the Thessalian , the Macedonian , the Thracian.

The southern group is divided into several subgroups which include varieties:

1. Megara , Aegina , Athens , Kymi (old Athens) and Mani Peninsula (maniote)
2. Peloponnese (except Magne), Cyclades and Crete , Ionian Islands , Northern Epirus , Smyrna and Constantinople
3. Dodecanese and Cyprus.

Demotic Greek is officially taught since 1982 in the monotonic system. The system polytonic remains popular in intellectual circles.

Katharevousa

The Katharevousa ( "(mother) served") is a sociolect semi-artificial promoted to the ^nineteenth century to the founding of the new Greek state as a compromise between the classical Greek and modern demotic. It was the official language of modern Greece until 1976.

The Katharevousa is written to the system polytonic and while demotic Greek has borrowed words in Turkish , with the Italian , in Latin , in French and other languages, they were banished from the Katharevousa.

Tsakonian

The Tsakonian () is spoken by some villages around the town of Sparta in the region of Laconia in southern Peloponnese , and partly spoken beyond this region.

The Tsakonian directly from the Laconian (former Spartan) and then down the branch Doric in Greek. The influence of Hellenistic Koine is limited and this dialect is significantly different from the Koine dialects (like the demotic Greek and Pontic ).

Pontic

The pontic () was originally spoken in the area of Pontus in Asia Minor until most of the speakers were not displaced in mainland Greece during the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey that followed the destruction of Smyrna.

It comes from the Koine Hellenistic and medieval but retains the characteristics of the Ionian colonization since antiquity. The Caspian has evolved separately from demotic Greek because of the remoteness of the region in relation to Greece triggered by the Battle of Manzikert.

Cappadocian

The Cappadocian () is a dialect close to the Caspian and has suffered the same fate. It comes directly from the Alexandrian dialect and its speakers moved to mainland Greece after the population exchanges.

Kato-Italic

The Kato-Italic or katoitalitika (, "Southern Italian") in fact combines two varieties: the Greco-Calabrian dialect and Griko itself. It is spoken in about 15 villages in the regions of Calabria and Apulia. Kato-Italic dialect is the last living trace of Greek elements in southern Italy that were once the Magna Graecia.

We can explain its origins through colonization Dorian who left for Sparta and Corinth in -700. However, kato Italiote influenced the Koine because settlers Byzantine Greek who reintroduced in the region, the conquest of Italy by Justinian in late antiquity to the Middle Ages. The Griko and dhimotik are intercomprehensible but it shares more features with Tsakonian.

Yvanique

The yvanique is a language of Jews Romaniot who died recently. She was in decline for several centuries until most of its speakers were murdered during the Holocaust. Then, she remained in use among the emigrants who settled Romaniot in Israel , where she was replaced by modern Hebrew.

See also

• Modern Greek ;
• Ancient Greek ;
• Ancient Greek dialects.

• Greece portal
• Language portal

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