Griko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is one of the two dialects of Italiot Greek, 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 and Apulia.The Italiot Greek-speaking area of Apulia 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, 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 Καληνύφτα – Kalinifta and Andramu pai, popular Griko songs:| Griko | Modern Greek | English translation |
| Καληνύφτα | Καληνύχτα | Good night |
| Εβώ πάντα σε σένα πενσέω, γιατί σένα φσυχή μου 'γαπώ, τσαι που πάω, που σύρνω, που στέω στην καρδία, μου πάντα σένα βαστῶ. | Εγώ πάντα εσένα σκέφτομαι, γιατί εσένα ψυχή μου αγαπώ, και όπου πάω, όπου σέρνομαι, όπου στέκομαι, The verbs " | I always think of you because I love you, my soul, and wherever I go, wherever I drag myself to, wherever I stand, inside my heart I always hold you. |
| ... |
| Griko | Modern Greek | English translation |
| Ἄνδρα μοῦ πάει – Andramu pai | Ὁ ἄνδρας μοῦ πάει – | My husband is gone |
| Στὲ κούω τὴ μπάντα τσαὶ στὲ κούω ἦττο σόνο Στέω ἐττοῦ μα 'σα τσαὶ στὲ πένσεω στὸ τρένο Πένσεω στὸ σκοτεινό τσαὶ ἤττη μινιέρα ποῦ πολεμώντα ἐτσεί πεσαίνει ὁ γένο! | Ἀκούω τὴν μπάντα, ἀκούω τὴ μουσική Εἶμαι ἐδὼ μαζί σας μὰ σκέφτομαι τὸ τρένο Σκέφτομαι τὸ σκοτάδι καὶ τὸ ὀρυχεῖο ὅπου δουλεύοντας πεθαίνει ὁ κόσμος! | I hear the band, I hear the music I'm here with you but I think of the train I think of darkness and the mine where people work and die! |
| Ste 'kuo ti 'baⁿda ce ste kuo itto sono, steo et'tu ma sa ce ste 'penseo sto 'treno, penseo sto skotinò citti miniera pu polemònta ecì peseni o jeno! | ... |
Phonology
- Nasal+stop clusters along with voiceless equivalents also are heard.
- The cacuminal /ɖ/ may also be realized as an affricate , and consonant sequences /tr/ and /tːr/ may be pronounced as and among 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.
| Front | Central | Back | |
| High | |||
| Mid | |||
| Low |
- Vowels /i, u/ are heard as homorganic glides when following consonants and preceding other vowels.
Grammar