Griko language
Encyclopedia
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language
which is spoken by the Griko people
in southern Italy
. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika (Greek: Κατωιταλιώτικα, "Southern Italian") or Grekanika (Γραικάνικα). Griko and Standard Modern Greek are mutually intelligible to some extent.
and Georgios Hatzidakis, stating that Griko's roots go as far back in history as the time of the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy and Sicily in the 8th century BC
, and in that respect, this Southern Italian dialect is 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 mainstream Koiné Greek
like almost all other Modern Greek dialects. Thus, Griko should rather be described as a Doric-influenced descendant of Byzantine Greek. 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.
(Province of Reggio Calabria
) and Puglia (peninsula of Salento
). The Griko-speaking area of Salento comprises nine small towns in the Grecìa Salentina
region (Calimera
, Martano
, Castrignano de' Greci
, Corigliano d'Otranto
, Melpignano
, Soleto
, Sternatia
, Zollino
, Martignano
), with a total of 40,000 inhabitants. The Calabrian Griko
region also consists of nine villages in Bovesia
, (including Bova Superiore, Roghudi
, Gallicianò
, Chorìo di Roghudi and Bova Marina
) and four districts in the city of Reggio Calabria
, but its population is significantly smaller, supposedly around 2000.
has recognized the Griko community of Reggio Calabria and Salento as an ethnic and linguistic
minority
, under the name of "Minoranze linguistiche Grike dell'Etnia Griko-Calabrese e Salentina" (linguistic minority of the Griko-Calabrian and Salentinian ethnicity).
. Griko songs, music
and poetry
are particularly popular in Italy and Greece
. Famous music groups from Salento include Ghetonia
and Aramirè
. Also, influential Greek artists such as Dionysis Savvopoulos
and Maria Farantouri
have performed in Griko.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
which is spoken by the Griko people
Griko people
The Griko people sometimes spelled Grico, Greco and Grecanici in Calabria are an ethnic Greek community of Southern Italy, they are found principally in regions of Calabria and Puglia ,...
in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika (Greek: Κατωιταλιώτικα, "Southern Italian") or Grekanika (Γραικάνικα). Griko and Standard Modern Greek are mutually intelligible to some extent.
Classification
The most popular hypothesis on the origin of Griko is the one by Gerhard RohlfsGerhard Rohlfs
Gerhard Rohlfs was a German linguist. He taught Romance languages and literature at the universities of Tübingen and Munich in Germany. He was described as an "archeologist of words"....
and Georgios Hatzidakis, stating that Griko's roots go as far back in history as the time of the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy and Sicily in the 8th century BC
8th century BC
The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty...
, and in that respect, this Southern Italian dialect is 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
Doric Greek
Doric or Dorian was a dialect of ancient Greek. Its variants were spoken in the southern and eastern Peloponnese, Crete, Rhodes, some islands in the southern Aegean Sea, some cities on the coasts of Asia Minor, Southern Italy, Sicily, Epirus and Macedon. Together with Northwest Greek, it forms the...
elements, but its structure is otherwise mostly based on mainstream Koiné Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
like almost all other Modern Greek dialects. Thus, Griko should rather be described as a Doric-influenced descendant of Byzantine Greek. 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 Griko-speaking communities survive today in the Italian regions of CalabriaCalabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
(Province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
) and Puglia (peninsula of Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
). The Griko-speaking area of Salento comprises nine small towns in the Grecìa Salentina
Grecìa Salentina
Grecia Salentina is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority living in southern Italy who traditionally spoke a Greek Language dialect also called Griko. It consists of eleven towns and belongs to...
region (Calimera
Calimera
Calimera is a small town of 7,296 inhabitants in the Grecìa Salentina area of the Salento peninsula in Italy, located between Gallipoli and Otranto. It belongs to the province of Lecce....
, Martano
Martano
-Famous people:The list of famous people whom Martano gave birth includes Giuseppe Grassi, who signed the Constitution of Italy in 1948, Salvatore Trinchese, marine biologist of the 19th century and Cosimo Moschettini, agricultural scientist of the Enlightenment....
, Castrignano de' Greci
Castrignano de' Greci
Castrignano de' Greci is a small town and comune of 4,107 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, southern Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina.- References :...
, Corigliano d'Otranto
Corigliano d'Otranto
Corigliano d'Otranto is a small town and comune of 5,632 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina.-Sister cities: Ilion, Greece...
, Melpignano
Melpignano
Melpignano is a small town and comune in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina. Melpignano has a population of 2,209 inhabitants and an area of thus showing a population density of 202,1 inhabitants per square kilometer...
, Soleto
Soleto
Soleto is a small Griko-speaking city located in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. The town has a total population of 5,537 and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina.-History:...
, Sternatia
Sternatia
Sternatia is a small town and comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia, southern Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina....
, Zollino
Zollino
Zollino is a small town and comune of 2,194 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina, which still keeps Greek language and traditions.-History:...
, Martignano
Martignano
Martignano is a small town and comune of 1,770 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is part of Salento and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina, an area where an ancient Greek dialect is spoken.-Famous people:...
), with a total of 40,000 inhabitants. The Calabrian Griko
Greek-Calabrian dialect
The Calabrian dialect of Greek, or Greek-Bovesian, is the version of Italian Greek used by the ethnic Griko people in Calabria, as opposed to the Italian Greek dialect spoken in the Grecìa Salentina. Both are remnants of the ancient and Byzantine Greek colonisation of the region...
region also consists of nine villages in Bovesia
Bovesia
Bovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
, (including Bova Superiore, Roghudi
Roghudi
Roghudi is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 20 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
, Gallicianò
Gallicianò
Gallicianò is a village in Calabria, southern Italy, administratively a frazione of Condofuri. It has some 200 inhabitants, who are entirely Greek-Calabrian dialect speaking....
, Chorìo di Roghudi and Bova Marina
Bova Marina
Bova Marina is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
) and four districts in the city of Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
, but its population is significantly smaller, supposedly around 2000.
Official status
The Italian parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
has recognized the Griko community of Reggio Calabria and Salento as an ethnic and linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
minority
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
, under the name of "Minoranze linguistiche Grike dell'Etnia Griko-Calabrese e Salentina" (linguistic minority of the Griko-Calabrian and Salentinian ethnicity).
Culture
There is rich oral tradition and Griko folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. Griko songs, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
are particularly popular in Italy and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Famous music groups from Salento include Ghetonia
Ghetonia
Ghetonia is a cultural group based in Calimera, Grecìa Salentina in southern Italy dedicated to preserving the music, poetry, language and folklore of the Griko-speaking people of Salento....
and Aramirè
Aramirè
Aramirè is music group from Salento, Italy, specializing in various forms of local traditional music:* The pizzica version of the Tarantella,* songs of the Grecìa Salentina region,* traditional love songs,* and polyphonic songs of love and labour....
. Also, influential Greek artists such as Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos is a Greek music composer, lyricist and singer.He was born in Thessaloniki. In 1963 he moved to Athens, terminating his law studies in favour of his career in music...
and Maria Farantouri
Maria Farantouri
Maria Farantouri was born in Athens on 28 November 1947. She is a Greek singer and also a political and cultural activist. She has collaborated with prominent Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the score for Pablo Neruda's Canto General, which Farantouri performed...
have performed in Griko.
Sample
Sample text from Καληνύφτα - Kalinifta "good night", a popular Griko song:| Griko | Modern Greek | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Εβώ πάντα σε σένα πενσέω, γιατί σένα φσυκή μου 'γαπώ, τσαι που πάω, που σύρνω, που στέω στην καρδιά μου πάντα σένα βαστώ. |
Εγώ πάντα εσένα σκέφτομαι, γιατί εσένα ψυχή μου αγαπώ, και όπου πάω, όπου σέρνομαι, όπου στέκω, στην καρδιά μου πάντα εσένα βαστώ. |
I always think of you because I love you, my soul, and wherever I go, wherever I drag myself into, wherever I stay, I always hold you inside my heart. |
| transliteration: | transliteration: | ... |
| Evo panta se sena pensèo, yiatì sena fsuche mou 'ghapò, ce pou pao, pou syrno, pou steo stin kardiá mou panta sena vastò. |
Ego panda esena skeftome, yiati esena psihi mou agapo, kai opou pao, opou sernome, opou steko stin kardiá mou panda esena vasto. |
... |
External links
- Grika milume! An online Griko community
- Enosi Griko, Coordination of Grecìa Salentina Associations
- Grecìa Salentina official site (in Italian)
- Gaze On The Sea Salentinian Peninsula, Greece and Greater Greece (in Italian, Greek and English)
- Salento Griko (in Italian)
- English-Griko dictionary
- Kalinifta, by GhetoniaGhetoniaGhetonia is a cultural group based in Calimera, Grecìa Salentina in southern Italy dedicated to preserving the music, poetry, language and folklore of the Griko-speaking people of Salento....
- Oria mou rodinedda, folk song of the Griko-speaking communities of southern Italy, by Eleni & Souzana Vougioukli