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LEGATVS LEGIONIS
Knight
Joined: 10-Dec-2005
Location: Italy
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Topic: a Greek language spoken in Italy: i need Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 12:31 |
AVE FORVM!
Long time ago i heard of a language, quite close to Greek, spoken
somewhere not far from the Sila chains (in the southern Italy) by a few
thousands of people. I bet everyone knows that Southern Italy was
colonized by Greeks much time before the expansion of the Roman
Territory; however i'm impressed: Greek language could be still used
somewhere in Italy even after many centuries and many invaders.
I read a leader about that on a famous italian magazine some years ago but i don't remember much if i gotta be honest According to that magazine, the ones who can speak that language can understand the modern greek language a bit
Does anyone know something more about that language? i'm curious
to know where exactly it's spoken and how many
people are good at speaking it at the moment
tnx in advance for helping
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Hosti non solum dandam esse viam ad fugiendum, sed etiam muniendam!
(Publius Cornelius Scipio 'Africanus')
Si vis pacem para bellum!
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Alkiviades
Baron
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Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 14:23 |
The language is called Greco, spoken by about two dozen villages in
Sicily and southern Italy. If you google the name, you'll find a number
of sites dealing with it.
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sdavidr
Knight
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Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 16:44 |
It's also called greco moderno, romaico , grico, griko, greco-bovese or greco-calabro.
Take a Look at this interesting link GRIKO. There is a griko-english dictionary.
Edited by sdavidr
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Leonidas
Tsar
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Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 22:05 |
One of my favourite little subjects
Split it betwen the Apulia (15,000) and calabria (5000) and i can never
find the sicilian villages on the web but i have two sicilians tell me
they exist.
Ontop of my head the (salentine) apulian greek is closer to modern greek due to
byzantine migrations, calabrian is closer to old dorian type dilaects
and has been isolated for a lot longer.
Links
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9479/griko.html
Paper on the langauage
Salentine web page
Edited by Leonidas
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sdavidr
Knight
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Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 22:34 |
i can never
find the sicilian villages on the web but I have two sicilians tell me
they exist. |
That's interesting. I will investigate it in a future.
---------------------------------------------------- Maps I've found, source: http://www.grikamilume.comIn red the two Italian areas of Greek language are indicated: the
Bovesia in Calabria and the Greca Salentina in Salento. Nowadays Extension of the area (green
dark) and in the XV-XVI century (green)
Edited by sdavidr
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sdavidr
Knight
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Posted: 10-Dec-2005 at 23:21 |
source: euromosaic... Since Grico no longer has any social influence
and is not spoken spontaneously as a language of everyday communication,
the general impression of all observers and, most significantly, of people
from the ethnic Greek communities of Calabria, is that it will disappear
within a generation, despite the fact that the initiatives taken by the
various Grico cultural groups to introduce the language into the education
system seems to have aroused a degree of interest in Grico among young people.
This rekindling of interest, however, relates more to the value of the language
as a relic of the region's past than to its value as a means of communication.
The fact is that throughout the entire territory
only 2,500 people know and understand the language. Among young people and
adults below the age of 35, there are only about 50 who understand the language
and even fewer who can speak it, despite the fact that several Greek courses
are run each year. The main cause of this terminal crisis of the Greek language
in Italy have been the constant depopulation of the area since the early
20th century, universal compulsory schooling and the growing influence of
communications and the mass media. This situation has been exacerbated by
the lack of interest in the language among young people.
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LEGATVS LEGIONIS
Knight
Joined: 10-Dec-2005
Location: Italy
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Posted: 11-Dec-2005 at 01:42 |
tnx everyone for answering i'm really
interested in this topic so yesterday i asked to a friend of mine livin
in Calabria about that "Griko" language; he answered me he never heard
of that before so i think nowadays just a fews old ppl can understand it
There's a specific law to defend and help those comunities who can
still use this lang ( i've just seen it on the net) but i agree with
sdavidr: it will disappear in a few years' time in my opinion
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Hosti non solum dandam esse viam ad fugiendum, sed etiam muniendam!
(Publius Cornelius Scipio 'Africanus')
Si vis pacem para bellum!
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Perseas
General
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Posted: 12-Dec-2005 at 07:48 |
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A mathematician is a person who thinks that if there are supposed to be three people in a room, but five come out, then two more must enter the room in order for it to be empty.
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LEGATVS LEGIONIS
Knight
Joined: 10-Dec-2005
Location: Italy
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Posted: 12-Dec-2005 at 11:51 |
thanks, God of the Wind (= Aeolus, right? ) that site is really interesting
by the way i've asked to some sicilyan friends of mine (i've known them
when i was workin in the italian army some years ago) and they've told
me there are no people who can speak a greek dialect in Sicily at the
moment...at least that's what they think....however i was to sicily
over my holidays 2 years ago and it was full of beautiful greek ruins;
if u can, u have to visit Syracuse where u could see several Greek
temples:it's so suggestive!
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Hosti non solum dandam esse viam ad fugiendum, sed etiam muniendam!
(Publius Cornelius Scipio 'Africanus')
Si vis pacem para bellum!
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