Languages of Greece
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Languages of Greece | |
|---|---|
| Official | Greek (Demotic) |
| Regional | Cretan, Cappadocian, Pontic, Maniot, Thracian, Tsakonian, Yevanic |
| Minority | Albanian, Turkish, Russian, Romani, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Armenian, Aromanian |
| Foreign | English (51%)[1] Italian (23%) German (8.5%) French (8%) |
| Signed | Greek Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | Greek keyboard  |
| Source | European Commission[2] |
The official language of Greece is Greek, spoken by 99% of the population. In addition, a number of non-official, minority languages and some Greek dialects are spoken as well. The most common foreign languages learned by Greeks are English, German, French and Italian.
Cappadocian Greek
Modern Greek language (Νεοελληνική γλώσσα) is the only official language of the Hellenic Republic, and is spoken by some 99.5% of the population — about 11,100,000 people[3] (though not necessarily as a first language). Standard Modern Greek is the officially used standard, but there are several non-official dialects and distinct Hellenic languages spoken as well. Regional spoken dialects exist side by side with learned, archaic written forms. All surviving forms of modern Greek, except the Tsakonian language, are descendants of the common supra-regional (koiné) as it was spoken in late antiquity. As such, they can ultimately be classified as descendants of Attic Greek, the dialect spoken in and around Athens in the classical era. Tsakonian, an isolated dialect spoken today by a dwindling community in the Peloponnese, is a descendant of the ancient Doric dialect. Some other dialects have preserved elements of various ancient non-Attic dialects, but Attic Koine is nevertheless regarded by most scholars as the principal source of all of them.
Cappadocian Greek (Καππαδοκικά) is a Hellenic language originally spoken in Cappadocia and since the 1920s spoken in Greece. It has very few speakers and was previously thought to be extinct. The Cappadocians rapidly shifted to Standard Modern Greek and their language was thought to be extinct since the 1960s.
Cretan Greek
Cretan Greek is spoken by more than 500,000 people on the island of Crete, as well as in the Greek Diaspora. It is rarely used in written language, and differs much less from Standard Greek than other varieties. The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greeks on the island of Crete, as well as by several thousand Cretans who have settled in major Greek cities, notably in Athens, and in areas settled by Ottoman-era Cretan Greek Muslims (the so-called Cretan Turks), such as the town of Al-Hamidiyah in Syria.
Cypriot Greek
Cypriot Greek (Κυπριακή διάλεκτος) is spoken by Greek Cypriots. In Cyprus about 659,115 (in 2011) spoke the language, and many of them settled in Greek cities. The language is prevalent in many other parts of the world including Australia, Canada and the Americas. The total speakers are about 1.20 million people.
Maniot Greek
The Maniot Greek dialect (Μανιάτικη διάλεκτος) of the local area of Mani.
Pontic Greek
Pontic Greek (Ποντιακή διάλεκτος) is a Hellenic language originally spoken in Pontus and by Caucasus Greeks in the South Caucasus region, although now mostly spoken in Greece by some 500,000 people. The linguistic lineage of Pontic Greek stems from Ionic Greek via Koine and Byzantine Greek
Thracian Greek
The Thracian Greek dialect is spoken mainly in Western Thrace and by the Greek minority in other areas of Thrace outside the Greek borders, and by greek refugees who came from East Thrace in Macedonia mainly
Sarakatsanika
An archaic dialect of Greek spoken by the Sarakatsani of Greek Macedonia and elsewhere in Northern Greece, a traditionally transhument, clan-based community of mountain shepherds.
Tsakonian Greek
The little-spoken Tsakonian language (Τσακωνική διάλεκτος) is used by some in the Tsakonia region of Peloponnese. The language is split into three dialects: Northern, Southern, and Propontis. The language is spoken by 1,200 people.
Yevanic Greek
A Jewish dialect of Greek (Ρωμανιώτικη διάλεκτος) spoken by the Romaniotes, Yevanic is almost completely extinct today. There are a total of roughly 50 speakers, around 35 of whom now reside in Israel. The language may still be used by some elderly Romaniotes in Ioannina.
