Griko language

Griko (endonym: /), sometimes spelled Grico, is one of the two dialects of Italiot Greek (the other being Calabrian Greek or ), spoken by Griko people in Salento, province of Lecce, Italy. Some Greek linguists consider it to be a Modern Greek dialect and often call it () or (). Griko and Standard Modern Greek are partially mutually intelligible.

Classification

The most popular hypothesis on the origin of Griko is the one by Gerhard Rohlfs and Georgios Hatzidakis, that Griko's roots go as far back in history as the time of the ancient Greek colonies in Southern Italy and Sicily in the eighth century BC. The Southern Italian dialect is thus considered to be the last living trace of the Greek elements that once formed Magna Graecia.

There are, however, competing hypotheses according to which Griko may have preserved some Doric elements, but its structure is otherwise mostly based on Koine Greek, like almost all other Modern Greek dialects. Thus, Griko should rather be described as a Doric-influenced descendant of Medieval Greek spoken by those who fled the Byzantine Empire to Italy to escape the Turks. The idea of Southern Italy's Greek dialects being historically derived from Medieval Greek was proposed for the first time in the 19th century by Giuseppe Morosi.

Geographic distribution

Two small Italiot Greek-speaking communities survive today in the Italian regions of Calabria ( Metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria) and Puglia (Province of Lecce).

The Italiot Greek-speaking area of Puglia is called Grecìa Salentina and includes seven villages where Griko is still spoken – Calimera, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d’Otranto, Martano, Martignano, Sternatia and Zollino – in addition to four villages – Carpignano Salentino, Cutrofiano, Melpignano and Soleto – where Griko has not been spoken for one or two centuries. The total population of Grecia Salentina is around 40,000.

The Calabrian Greek region also consists of nine villages in Bovesia, (including Bova Superiore, Roghudi, Gallicianò, Chorìo di Roghudi and Bova Marina) and four districts in the city of Reggio Calabria, but its population is significantly smaller, with around only 2000 inhabitants.

Official status

By Law 482 of 1999, the Italian parliament recognized the Griko communities of Reggio Calabria and Salento as a Greek ethnic and linguistic minority. It states that the Republic protects the language and culture of its Albanian, Catalan, Germanic, Greek, Slovene and Croat populations and of those who speak French, Franco-Provençal, Friulian, Ladin, Occitan and Sardinian. According to UNESCO data from 2011, the two dialects of Griko are classified as severely endangered languages.

Culture

There is rich oral tradition and Griko folklore. Griko songs, music and poetry are particularly popular in Italy and Greece. Famous music groups from Salento include Ghetonia, Aramirè, and Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino. Also, influential Greek artists such as Dionysis Savvopoulos and Maria Farantouri have performed in Griko. The Greek musical ensemble Encardia focuses on Griko songs as well as on the musical tradition of Southern Italy at large.

Samples

Sample text from – ("Good night") and , popular Griko songs:

Phonology

* Nasal+stop clusters ��b, ⁿd, ᵑɡalong with voiceless equivalents ��p, ⁿt, ᵑkalso are heard.
* The cacuminal /ɖ/ may also be realized as an affricate �ːʐ and consonant sequences /tr/ and /tːr/ may be pronounced as �ʂand �ːʂamong speakers.
* is heard as a realization of /s/ when before a voiced consonant.
* A few cases of a palatal lateral �can be heard, possibly as a result of the influence of Standard Italian.

* Vowels /i, u/ are heard as homorganic glides , wwhen following consonants and preceding other vowels.

Grammar

In many aspects, its grammar is similar to that of Modern Greek. The language has three genders, masculine, feminine, and neuter. All nouns and adjectives are declined according to number and case. There are four cases, just like in Modern Greek: nominative, genitive, accusative, and vocative. Verbs are conjugated according to person, number, tense, mood, and aspect. The table below shows the personal pronouns of the Griko language:

See also

* Hellenic languages
* Calabrian Greek dialect
* Griko people
* Magna Graecia
* Byzantine Italy

Notes and references

Further reading

* H. F. Tozer. "The Greek-Speaking Population of Southern Italy." '' The Journal of Hellenic Studies.'' Vol. 10 (1889), pp. 11–42.

External links

On the Brink: Griko; A Language of Resistance and Celebration - Cultural Survival

Glossa Grika
o Griko Derentinò (in Griko, Italian, Standard-Greek and French)

Enosi Griko
Coordination of Grecìa Salentina Associations (Italian, Greek and English)

Pos Matome Griko
(in Italian, Greek and English)

Grecìa Salentina
official site (in Italian)

Gaze On The Sea
Salentine Peninsula, Greece and Greater Greece (in Italian, Greek and English)



Kalinifta
by Ghetonia

Oria mou rodinedda
folk song of the Griko-speaking communities of southern Italy, by Eleni & Souzana Vougioukli

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Varieties of Modern Greek
Magna Graecia
Languages of Apulia
Endangered diaspora languages
Endangered Indo-European languages
Greece–Italy relations