Arcadocypriot

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History of the Greek language (see also: Greek alphabet)

Proto-Greek (c. 2000 BC)

Mycenaean (c. 1600–1100 BC)

Ancient Greek (c. 800–300 BC) Dialects: Aeolic, Arcadocypriot, Attic-Ionic, Doric, Pamphylian; Homeric Greek. Possible dialect: Macedonian.

Koine Greek (from c. 300 BC)

Medieval Greek (c. 330–1453)

Modern Greek (from 1453) Dialects: Cappadocian, Cretan, Cypriot, Demotic, Griko, Katharevousa, Pontic, Tsakonian, Yevanic

Arcadocypriot was an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Arcadia and Cyprus between ca. the 7th and 4th centuries BC. It is directly descended from Mycenaean Greek, being spoken in areas where the Mycenaean population retreated from the Dorian invasion. The dialect is only known from inscriptions. In Cyprus, it was written using the Cypriot syllabary. Tsan was a letter only in use in Arcadia, up to ca. the 6th century BC.

Arcadocypriot kept a lot of characteristics of Mycenaean lost in other classical Greek dialects, such as the /w/ sound (digamma).