#tsakonika

[elladastinkardiamou]

Ancient Spartan Dialect Tsakonika Still Alive Despite Ravages of Time

Greece, the home of one the oldest civilizations on the globe, is blessed with thousands of priceless monuments. But perhaps no physical structure anywhere is as important than the living monument of a spoken language which originates directly from the ancient world.

One such language still survives today, despite the ravages of time and the many reversals of fortune that Greece has known, in Leonidio–Tsakonika, the language of ancient Sparta, the warrior state which became the byword for an extraordinarily strict and regimented society.

Despite being banished to the hills and mountains 55-100 km (34-62 miles) far away from the city state after it was attacked and conquered by the Visigoths almost 2,400 years ago, the people who spoke the language somehow kept it alive even after their original city lay abandoned for centuries afterward.

[helleniclanguageboy]

Greek -> Tsakonian foods

Ρόδι -> Ρόϊδι (Pomegranate)

Μήλο -> Μάλι (Apple)

Μήλα -> Μάβα (Apples)

Σύκο -> Σούκο (Fig)

Ψωμί -> Άντε (Bread)

Τυρί -> Άρτουμα (Cheese)

Κρεμμύδι -> Κρέμμου (Onion)

Νερό -> Ύο (Water)

Κρασί -> Κρασί/Ζάρα (Wine)

Γάλα -> Γα/Ζάρα (Milk)

Σπανάκι -> Σπανάτζι (Spinach)

Αυγό -> Αυουγό (Egg)

Μαϊντανός -> Μαντανέ (Parsley)

Ζυμαρικά -> Ζεμαρικά (Pasta)

Αμύγδαλο -> Νύγδαλε (Almond)

Αλάτι -> Άτσι (Salt)

Σταφύλι -> Βότσε (Grape)

Κεράσι -> Τζέρασε (Cherry)

Λεμόνι -> Λεϊμόνι (Lemon)

Μπάμια -> Μπάμπια (Okra)

Ρίγανη -> Ρούγανι (Oregano)

Σκόρδο -> Σκούντι (Garlic)

Άνηθος -> Νύρισμα (Dill)

Δάφνη -> Αφρία (Bay leaf)

Φέτα -> Φλέρα (Feta)

Κεφαλοτύρι -> Κιουρέ (Kefalotyri)

Πίτα -> Κήτα (Pita)

Κρέας -> Κρήε (Meat)

Γιαούρτι -> Γεργούκι (Yogurt)

Βοδινός -> Βουϊνέ (Beef)

Βούτυρο -> Βούκιουρε (Butter)

[greekflowerboy]

Hellenic languages

Here are some websites and videos about different Hellenic Languages and cultures.

Ελληνικά/Greek

The dialect of Greek spoken throughout Greece, Cyprus, and the Greek diaspora.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Greek

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm

https://www.duolingo.com/course/el/en/Learn-Greek-Online

https://www.youtube.com/user/greekpod101

https://youtu.be/OIB5SKG3no0

https://youtu.be/7o8NcTiXGYI

https://youtu.be/mQyL3LgJwXA

Τσακώνικα/Tsakonian ‬

The modern descendant of Doric Greek (the language of Sparta). Surviving only in a few villages in southern Greece.

http://www.tsakoniandialect.info

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsakonian_language

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/tsakonian.htm

https://youtu.be/321JX9QiME0

https://youtu.be/0nxD4GDJXCw

Γκρίκο/Griko

A variety of Greek spoken in southern Italy. It has heavy influence from Italian and the surrounding languages.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griko_dialect

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griko_people

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/griko.htm

https://tribalingual.com/courses/greko-2/

https://youtu.be/ofs4ARx-QN4

https://youtu.be/LSktx_kr4ww

https://youtu.be/dHCf9k3u2IQ

https://youtu.be/C0p05Wdafa8

https://youtu.be/ofs4ARx-QN4

https://youtu.be/PhMxt9nZ3tM

Ποντιακά/Pontic Greek

A dialect of Greek spoken in northern Anatolia and in a few Greek villages, due to the population exchange.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontic_Greek

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontic_Greeks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_genocide

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontus_(region)

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/pontic.htm

https://youtu.be/vHWpv_3NmBs

https://youtu.be/UcAYP4irSyQ

https://youtu.be/kVHgdgKR6tw

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL630-q6V5tZBoP1gtbZyP1vouwsdzmTn9

יעואני גלוסא‬/ Yevanic

The Greek spoken by the Yevanic Jews of Greece, also called the Romaniotes. It is kind of like Jewish English, from what I’ve read, it’s mutually intelligible with Greek, but it has some Hebrew words thrown in. I still feel like it’s really interesting and worth mentioning.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevanic_language

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Greece

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniote_Jews

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/yevanic.htm

https://youtu.be/9NRqqjflY7Y

Σάννα/Cypriot Maronite Arabic

Sanna is Arabic not Hellenic, but it is heavily influenced by Greek. It is spoken in Cyprus, and one of the National languages.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypriot_Arabic

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Cypriot_Arabic_Swadesh_list

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cypriotarabic.htm

[elladastinkardiamou]

The last speakers of ancient Sparta

As you enter the mountainous village of Pera Melana in Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula, you’re likely to hear the roar of scooters zooming down narrow roads and the chirps of birds stealing ripe fruit from trees. But if you approach the village’s central cafe, you’ll hear a rather unusual sound. It’s the buzz of conversations among elders in a 3,000-year-old language called Tsakonika.

The speakers are the linguistic descendants of ancient Sparta, the iconic Greek city-state, and part of a rich cultural heritage and population called Tsakonian.

Thomais Kounia, known as the “empress of Tsakonika” for her mastery of the language, tells her friend about the bread she baked that morning, but my Greek translator cannot understand her. Instead, Kounia translates for him in Greek, and he then tells me, like a game of Chinese whispers. I am in awe. These ladies are some of the last fluent speakers of one of the world’s oldest living languages.

Today, only about 2,000 of the 10,000 Tsakonians, primarily elders, still speak Tsakonika at all, and the language is limited to 13 towns, villages and hamlets located around Pera Melana. While Greek is the region’s official language, Tsakonika is often spoken at home and casually in public here. Yet, its future remains uncertain.

“We are losing Tsakonika without authentic teachers,” said Kounia. “I have been trying to preserve it for the last 40 years. It is my duty to do so.”

Tsakonika isn’t just important to the identity and culture of Tsakonians, it is the only continuous legacy of the ancient Spartans. It’s also the oldest living language in Greece – predating modern Greek by about 3,100 years – and one of the oldest languages in Europe.

“If we lose our language, we cannot claim to be Tsakonian,” explained Eleni Manou, a Tsakonika teacher and author in the nearby town of Leonidio, the de facto capitol of Tsakonia.

Tsakonika is based on the Doric language spoken by the ancient Spartans and it is the only remaining dialect from the western Doric branch of Hellenic languages. In contrast, Greek descends from the Ionic and Attic dialects on the eastern branch. While each of these use a similar alphabet, Tsakonika has more phonetic symbols and differs in structure and pronunciation. Unsurprisingly, Tsakonika is closer to ancient than modern Greek, but none of these languages are mutually intelligible.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Ancient Spartan Dialect Still Alive Despite Ravages of Time and Fortune

Greece, the home of one the oldest civilizations on the globe, is blessed with thousands of priceless monuments, from the Parthenon, the temple at Sounion and the site of Delphi, just to name a few. But perhaps no physical structure anywhere is as important than the living monument of a spoken language which originates directly from the ancient world.

One such language still survives today, despite the ravages of time and the many reversals of fortune that Greece has known, in the hill towns around Sparta, the home of a warrior state which became the byword for an extraordinarily strict and regimented society.

Despite being banished to the hills and mountains 55-100 km (34-62 miles) outside the city state after it was attacked and conquered by the Visigoths almost 2,400 years ago, the people who spoke the language somehow kept it alive even after their original city lay abandoned for centuries afterward.

Two thousand people in and around Sparta still speak Tsakonika, which is recognized as the oldest living language in a country that is itself one of the oldest continuous civilizations on the face of the earth.

[helleniclanguageboy]

I accidentally closed out of the website, so I’ll link the site when I find it again! Anyway, these are examples of Tsakonika (hint hint I’m working on something 😉)!!!!!! I’m excited to find these!!

[greekflowerboy]

Some greetings in Tsakonika

Καούρ — Welcome

Τσ’ έσ’ ποίου; — How are you?

Εζού κά έννι — I’m fine

Αφεγκία ντι. — How about you?

Που ντ’ έν’ αούντε; — What’s your name?

Μ’εν’αούντε (insert name) — My name is

Ευχαριστού πάσου — Thank you so much

Έσι καοδεχούμενε σου — You’re welcome