Demotic Greek
The Athens-based standard of modern Greek, derived from the Demotic vernacular and codified in the late 20th century.
Tsakonian
Also known as: Tsakonika
The only living descendant of ancient Doric Greek, spoken in a few villages of the Peloponnese around Leonidio. Critically endangered; structurally distinct from all other Greek varieties, which descend from Attic-Ionic.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Tsakonian?
Tsakonian is a dialect of Greek.
Which region is Tsakonian associated with?
Tsakonian is part of the Europe region on DialectAtlas.
Is Tsakonian known by other names?
Yes — Tsakonian is also referred to as Tsakonika.
Is Tsakonian endangered?
Tsakonian is critically endangered. Only a small number of mostly elderly speakers remain, and the variety is at imminent risk of being lost.
What are the other dialects of Greek?
Greek also includes Standard Modern Greek, Cypriot Greek, Cretan Greek, Pontic Greek, Cappadocian Greek, Griko, Mariupolitan Greek. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Greek dialects
See on the atlas →Kypriaki
The Greek of Cyprus, distinct from Standard Modern Greek in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Preserves a number of medieval features.
The Greek of Crete. The literary medium of the late-medieval Cretan Renaissance and the basis of a long oral and musical tradition.
Romeyka · Pontiaka
The Greek variety historically spoken along the Pontic coast of the Black Sea, brought to mainland Greece by refugees of the 1923 population exchange. Its Anatolian-resident form (Romeyka) survives among Muslim communities near Trabzon.
The Greek of inner Anatolia, isolated for centuries before the 1923 population exchange brought its speakers to Greece. Heavily Turkic-influenced; once thought extinct but rediscovered in central Greece in the 2000s.
Italiot Greek · Salentino Greek
The Greek of southern Italy, spoken in two enclaves in Salento and Calabria. A direct descendant of the Magna Graecia varieties; one of the oldest continuously-spoken Greek varieties outside Greece.
Rumeika · Azov Greek
The Greek of the Mariupol region in Ukraine, descended from communities resettled from Crimea by Catherine the Great in 1778. Endangered; structurally close to Pontic Greek.