THE GREEK DIALECT OF NORTHERN EPIRUS (MODERN DAY SOUTHERN ALBANIA): "Northern Epirotes speak a southern Greek dialect. It retains some archaic forms and words that are no longer used in Standard Modern Greek, as well as in the Greek dialects of southern Epirus. Despite the relatively small distances between the various town and villages, there exists some dialectal variation, most noticeably in accent. Though Northern Epirote is a southern dialect, it is located far north of the reduced unstressed vowel system isogloss with the archaic disyllabic -ea. The local Greek dialects (especially the Chimariotic and the Argyrokastritic) are a more conservative and a purer Greek idiom (similarly to that spoken in the Mani peninsula in Greece, and the Griko language of Apulia in Italy), because they were spoken by populations living under virtual autonomy or complete freedom like the Mani peninsula during Ottoman rule due to the rugged nature of the region. Thus, separated from other Greek dialects, the Northern Epirote Greek dialect underwent slower evolution, preserving a more archaic and faithful picture of the medieval Greek vernacular. The isolation of Albania during the years of communist rule, which separated the Greeks living in Albania (Northern Epirus) from other Greek communities, also contributed to the slower evolution and differentiation of the local Greek dialects."
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:31:56 +0000
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