Pontic Greek

Pontic Greek
Ποντιακά/Pontiaká
Spoken in	Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands
Region	Southeastern Europe
Native speakers	324,535  (date missing)
Language family	Indo-European Hellenic Ionic–Attic Pontic Greek
Writing system	Greek alphabet, Latin, Cyrillic
Language codes
ISO 639-3	pnt
This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

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

Proto-Greek (c. 3000–1600 BC)

Mycenaean (c. 1600–1100 BC)

Ancient Greek (c. 800–330 BC) Dialects: Aeolic, Arcadocypriot, Attic-Ionic, Doric, Locrian, Pamphylian, Homeric Greek, Macedonian

Koine Greek (c. 330 BC–330)

Medieval Greek (330–1453)

Modern Greek (from 1453) Dialects: Calabrian, Cappadocian, Cheimarriotika, Cretan, Cypriot, Demotic, Griko, Katharevousa, Pontic, Tsakonian, Maniot, Yevanic *Dates (beginning with Ancient Greek) from Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p. 12. ISBN 0310218950.

Pontic Greek is a form of the Greek language originally spoken in the Pontus area on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, Eastern Turkish/Caucasus province of Kars, southern Georgia, and today mainly in northern Greece. Its speakers are referred to as Pontic Greeks or Pontian Greeks, although many Greeks mistakenly refer to some Pontic Greek speakers from Georgia as Russo-Ponti.

The linguistic lineage of Pontic Greek stems from Ionic Greek via Koine and Byzantine Greek and contains influences from Georgian, Russian, Turkish and to a lesser extent, Persian (via Ottoman Turkish) and various Caucasian languages. Pontic is most closely related to Cappadocian Greek, and the Greek spoken in Mariupolis (and formerly in Crimea, Ukraine) (see Mariupolitan Greek).

The language is called Rumca in Turkish, derived form the Turkish word Rum denoting ethnic Greeks living in Turkey in general; however, this term comprises other Greek speakers in Turkey such as those from Istambul or Smyrna who speak a language close to Standard Modern Greek.

Contents 1 Dialects 1.1 Romeyka 2 Geographic distribution 3 Official status 4 Culture 5 Pontic alphabets 6 Archaisms 6.1 Comparison with Ancient Greek 7 See also 8 Notes 9 Bibliography 10 External links

Dialects

Greek linguist Manolis Triantafyllides has divided Pontic into two groups:

• Western group (Oinountiac/Niotika) around Oenoe/Ünye.
• Eastern group
  • Coastal subgroup (Trapezountiac) around Trebizond/Trapezus,
  • Inland subgroup (Chaldiot) in Chaldia (around Argyroupolis/Gümüşhane — Kanin in Pontic), in its vicinity (Kelkit, Baibourt/Bayburt, etc.), and around Kotyora/Ordu.

Speakers of Chaldiot were the most numerous. In phonology, some varieties of Pontic are reported to demonstrate vowel harmony, a well-known feature of Turkish (Mirambel 1965).

Romeyka

The inhabitants of the Of valley, who had converted to Islam in the 17th century, remained in Turkey and have partly retained the Pontic language until today.^[1] Their dialect is called "Ophitic" by linguists, but speakers generally call it Romeyka, (Romeika, Greek: Ρωμαίικα) which in a more general sense is an historical and colloquial term for the modern Greek language as a whole. As few as 5,000 people speak this dialect.^[2][3]

Romeyka has retained the infinitive, which is present in Ancient Greek but has been lost in other variants of Modern Greek; it has therefore been characterized as "archaic" and as the living language that is closest to Ancient Greek.^[2][3]

In his 1996 book entitled Pontos Kültürü, Ömer Asan gives further details about the current Pontic-speaking community of the Of valley.^[4]

A very similar dialect is spoken by descendants of Christians from the Of valley now living in Greece in the village of Nea Trapezounta (part of Kalamaria, Central Macedonia), with about 400 speakers.^[5]

Geographic distribution

Though Pontic was originally spoken on the southern shores of the Black Sea, substantial numbers migrated into the northern and eastern shores (into the Russian Empire of the 18th and 19th century); Pontic is still spoken by large numbers of people in Ukraine, Russia (around Stavropol'), and Georgia, and the language enjoyed some use as a literary medium in the 1930s, including a school grammar (Topkhara 1998 [1932]). After the massacres of the 1910s, the majority of speakers remaining in Asia Minor were subject to the Treaty of Lausanne population exchange, and were resettled in Greece (mainly northern Greece). A second wave of migration occurred in the early 1990s, this time from the former Soviet Union.^[6]

In Greece, Pontic is now used mainly emblematically rather than as a medium of communication.

• Greece: 200,000 speakers (2001)

mostly in Macedonia (East, Central and West)

• Turkey: ~4000 speakers
  • Çaykara: Multiple villages
  • Dernekpazarı: (13 villages)
  • Kars: Multiple villages and provincial capital.
  • Of: multiple villages
  • Maçka: No information
  • Rize İkizdere: (21 villages)
  • Sürmene: (6 villages)
  • Tonya: (17 villages)
  • Torul-ardasa, Yağlıdere-kromni, Santa, Imera: (no village)

Official status

Pontic has no official status. During the late 1910s, it was destined to become the official language of the proposed Republic of Pontus. Historically, it was the de facto language of the Greek minority in the USSR, despite the fact that in the Πανσυνδεσμιακή Σύσκεψη (All-Union Conference) of 1926, organized by the Greek-Russian intelligentsia, it was decided that demotic should be the official language of the community.^[7]

Culture

The language has a rich oral tradition and folklore and Pontic songs are particularly popular in Greece. There is also some limited production of modern literature in Pontic, including poetry collections (among the most renowned writers is Kostas Diamantidis), novels, and translated Asterix comic albums.

Pontic alphabets

Pontic in Greece is written in historical Greek orthography, with diacritics: σ̌ ζ̌ ξ̌ ψ̌ for /ʃ ʒ kʃ pʃ/, α̈ ο̈ for [æ ø] (phonological /ia io/). Pontic in Turkey is written in Latin script following Turkish conventions, and Pontic in Russia is written in Cyrillic. In early Soviet times, Pontic was written in the Greek script phonetically, as shown below, using digraphs instead of diacritics; [æ ø] were written out as ια, ιο. The Pontic Wikipedia uses a Greek script: it has adopted εα, εο for these vowels, to avoid clashes with Modern Greek ια, ιο, and uses digraphs from the Soviet system instead of diacritics, but otherwise follows historical orthography.

Greek alphabet	Turkish alphabet	Russian alphabet	IPA	Example
Α α	A a	А а	[ä]	ρομεικα, romeyika, ромейика
Β β	V v	В в	[v]	κατιβενο, kativeno, кативено
Γ γ	Ğ ğ	Г г	[ɣ] [ʝ]	γανεβο, ğanevo, ганево
Δ δ	DH dh	Д д	[ð]	δοντι, dhonti, донти
Ε ε	E e	Е е	[e̞]	εγαπεςα, eğapesa, егапеса
Ζ ζ	Z z	З з	[z]	ζαντος, zantos, зантос
ΖΖ ζζ	J j	Ж ж	[ʒ]	πυρζζυας, burjuvas, буржуас
Θ θ	TH th	С с, Ф ф, Т т	[θ]	θεκο, theko, теко
Ι ι	İ i	И и	[i]	τοςπιτοπον, tospitopon, тоспитопон
Κ κ	K k	К к	[k]	καλατζεμαν, kalaceman, калачеман
Λ λ	L l	Л л	[l]	λαλια, lalia, лалиа
Μ μ	M m	М м	[m]	μανα, mana, мана
Ν ν	N n	Н н	[n]	ολιγον, oliğоn, олигон
Ο ο	O o	О о	[o̞]	τεμετερον, temeteron, теметерон
Π π	P p	П п	[p]	εγαπεςα, eğapesa, егапеса
Ρ ρ	R r	Р р	[ɾ]	ρομεικα, romeyika, ромейка
Σ ς	S s	С с	[s]	καλατζεπςον, kalacepson, калачепсон
ΣΣ ςς	Ş ş	Ш ш	[ʃ]	ςςερι, şeri, шери
Τ τ	T t	Т т	[t]	νοςτιμεςα, nostimesa, ностимеса
ΤΖ τζ	C c	Ч ч	[d͡ʒ]	καλατζεμαν, kalaceman, калачеман
ΤΣ τς	Ç ç	Ц ц	[t͡ʃ]	μανιτςα, maniça, маница
Υ υ	U u	У у	[u]	νυς, nus, нус
Φ φ	F f	Ф ф	[f]	εμορφα, emorfa, эморфа
Χ χ	H, KH (sert H)	Х х	[x]	χαςον, hason, хасон

Archaisms

• Preservation of the ancient pronunciation of 'η' as 'ε' (κέπιν = κήπιον, κλέφτες = κλέπτης, συνέλικος = συνήλικος, νύφε = νύ(μ)φη, έγκα = ἤνεγκον, έτον = ἦτον, έκουσα = ἤκουσα etc).
• Preservation of the ancient pronunciation 'ω' as 'o' where Koine Greek received it as 'ου' (ζωμίν = ζουμί, καρβώνι, ρωθώνι etc).
• Preservation of the ancient nominative suffix of neuter diminutive nouns in 'ιον' (παιδίον, χωρίον).
• Preservation of the Ionic consonant pair 'σπ' instead of Koine 'σφ' (σποντύλιν, σπἰγγω, σπιντόνα).
• Preservation of the termination of feminine compound adjectives in -ος (ή άλαλος, ή άνοστος, ή έμορφος).
• The declension of male nouns from singular, nominative termination '-on' to genitive '-ος' (ο νέον -> τη νέονος, ο πάππον -> τη πάππονος, ο λύκον -> τη λύκονος, ο Τούρκον -> τη Τούρκονος etc).
• The aorist ordering form in -ον (ανάμνον, μείνον, κόψον, πίσον, ράψον, σβήσον).
• The middle voice verb termination in -ούμαι (ανακατούμαι, σκοτούμαι, στεφανούμαι).
• The passive voice aorist termination in -θα (anc. -θην): εγαπέθα, εκοιμέθα, εστάθα etc.
• The imperative form of passive aorist in -θετε (anc -θητι): εγαπέθετε, εκοιμέθετε, εστάθετε.
• The sporadic use of infinitives (εποθανείναι, μαθείναι, κόψ'ναι, ράψ'ναι, χαρίσ'ναι, αγαπέθειν, κοιμεθείν).
• The ancient accenting of nouns in vocative form: άδελφε, Νίκολα, Μάρια.
• The sporadic use of 'ας' in the place of 'να': δός με ας φάγω.

Comparison with Ancient Greek

• Example 1: Pontic en (is), Ancient Greek esti, Koine idiomatic form enesti, Biblical form eni, Modern Greek ine
• Example 2: Pontic temeteron (ours), Ancient Greek to(n) hemeteron, Modern Greek to(n) * mas
• Example 3: Pontic pedhin (child), Ancient Greek paidion, Standard Greek pedhi
• Example 4 (combining 2 and 3): Pontic temeteron to pedin (our child), Ancient Greek/Koine to hemeteron paidion, Modern Greek to pedi mas

---

• 1. Attachment of the /e/ sound to the ancient infinitive suffix –ειν (in Trapezountiac Pontic)

PONTIC	ANCIENT
ipíne	εἰπεῖν
pathíne	παθεῖν
apothaníne	ἀποθανεῖν
piíne	πιεῖν
iδíne	εἰδεῖν
fiíne	φυγεῖν
evríne	εὑρεῖν
kamíne	καμεῖν
faíne	φαγεῖν
mathíne	μαθεῖν
erthéane	ἐλθεῖν
meníne	μένειν

• 2. Similar infinitive suffix -ηναι

PONTIC	ANCIENT
anevίne	ἀναβῆναι
katevine	καταβῆναι
embine	ἐμβῆναι
evjine	ἐκβῆναι
epiδeavine	ἀποδιαβῆναι
kimethine	κοιμηθῆναι
xtipethine	κτυπηθῆναι
evrethine	εὑρεθῆναι
vrasine	βραχῆναι
raine	ῥαγῆναι

• 3. Ancient first aorist infinitive suffix -αι has been replaced by second aorist suffix -ῆναι

PONTIC	ANCIENT
κράξειν	κράξαι
μεθύσειν	μεθύσαι

• 4. Attachment of the /e/ sound to the ancient aorist infinitive suffix –σειν

ράψεινε, κράξεινε, μεθύσεινε, καλέσεινε, λαλήσεινε, κτυπήσεινε, καθίσεινε

• 5. Same aorist suffix –ka (–ka was also the regular perfect suffix)

PONTIC	ANCIENT
eδoka	ἔδωκα
enδoka	ἐνέδωκα
epika	ἐποίηκα
efika	ἀφῆκα
ethika	ἔθηκα

• 6. Ancient Greek –ein (-εῖν) infinitive > Pontic Greek –eane (-έανε) infinitive

PONTIC	ANCIENT
erthéane	ἐλθεῖν

See also

• Mariupolitan Greek
• Pontic Greeks

Notes

1. ^ Mackridge 1987.
2. ^ ^{a b} Against all odds: archaic Greek in a modern world, University of Cambridge
3. ^ ^{a b} Jason and the argot: land where Greek's ancient language survives, The Independent, Monday, 3 January 2011
4. ^ Ömer Asan, Pontos Kültürü 'Pontos Culture', Belge Yayınları of Ragip Zarakolu, 1996. Second edition, 2000 (ISBN 975-344-220-3).
5. ^ "www.latsis-foundation.org". http://www.latsis-foundation.org/files/Meletes2009/11.report.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-29. 
6. ^ Selm, Joanne van (2003). The Refugee Convention at fifty: a view from forced migration studies. Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books. p. 72. ISBN 0-7391-0565-5. [1]
7. ^ "ΟΨΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ". http://www.elemedu.upatras.gr/eriande/synedria/synedrio3/praltika%2011/malkidis-karatzas.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-15. (Greek)

Bibliography

• Georges Drettas, Aspects pontiques, ARP, 1997, ISBN 2-9510349-0-3. "... marks the beginning of a new era in Greek dialectology. Not only is it the first comprehensive grammar of Pontic not written in Greek, but it is also the first self-contained grammar of any Greek “dialect” written, in the words of Bloomfield, “in terms of its own structure”." (Janse)
• Özhan Öztürk, Karadeniz: Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2 Cilt. Heyamola Yayıncılık. İstanbul, 2005. ISBN 975-6121-00-9
• Mackridge, P. 1987. Greek-Speaking Moslems of North-East Turkey: Prolegomena to Study of the Ophitic Sub-Dialect of Pontic. Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 11: 115–137.
• Τομπαΐδης, Δ.Ε. 1988. Η Ποντιακή Διάλεκτος. Αθήνα: Αρχείον Πόντου. (Tompaidis, D.E. 1988. The Pontic Dialect. Athens: Archeion Pontou.)
• Τομπαΐδης, Δ.Ε. ϗ Συμεωνίδης, Χ.Π. 2002. Συμπλήρωμα στο Ιστορικόν Λεξικόν της Ποντικής Διαλέκτου του Α.Α. Παπαδόπουλου. Αθήνα: Αρχείον Πόντου. (Tompaidis, D.E. and Simeonidis, C.P. 2002. Additions to the Historical Lexicon of the Pontic Dialect of A.A. Papadopoulos. Athens: Archeion Pontou.)
• Παπαδόπουλος, Α.Α. 1955. Ιστορική Γραμματική της Ποντικής Διαλέκτου. Αθήνα: Επιτροπή Ποντιακών Μελετών. (Papadopoulos, A.A. 1955. Historical Grammar of the Pontic Dialect. Athens: Committee for Pontian Studies.)
• Παπαδόπουλος, Α.Α. 1958–61. Ιστορικόν Λεξικόν της Ποντικής Διαλέκτου. 2 τόμ. Αθήνα: Μυρτίδης. (Papadopoulos, A.A. 1958–61. Historical Lexicon of the Pontic Dialect. 2 volumes. Athens: Mirtidis.)
• Οικονομίδης, Δ.Η. 1958. Γραμματική της Ελληνικής Διαλέκτου του Πόντου. Αθήνα: Ακαδημία Αθηνών. (Oikonomidis, D.I. 1958. Grammar of the Greek Dialect of Pontos. Athens: Athens Academy.)
• Τοπχαράς, Κονσταντίνος. 1998 [1932]. Η Γραμματική της Ποντιακής: Ι Γραματικι τι Ρομεικυ τι Ποντεικυ τι Γλοςας. Θεσσαλονίκη: Αφοί Κυριακίδη. (Topcharas, K. 1998 [1932]. The Grammar of Pontic. Thessaloniki: Afoi Kiriakidi.)

External links

• Mark Janse, "Aspects of Pontic grammar", a Review Article of Drettas (1997). The paper summarizes the high points of the book.
• Ethnologue report for Pontic
• Committee for Pontian Studies (Επιτροπή Ποντιακών Μελετών)
• Trebizond Greek: A language without a tongue
• Info about Pontians
• Pontic Greek: A cost of a language
• The Pontic Dialect
• Argonautai Komninoi Association
• Pontic Greek - English Dictionary
• Development of the Pontic Greek Dialect
• Archaic Greek in a modern world video from Cambridge University, on You Tube

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