National multilingualism&
cultural diversity
in Greece
main Greek dialects
•
Cretan
•Cyprio
t
•Pontic
•Tsakoni
an
The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority
of the Cretan Greeks in the island of Crete.Cretan dialect
Cretan people are very proud,
loud, friendly and truly hospitable!
Good food, traditional music and dances play
an important role in their life.Cretan lyre
The Pontic dialect was originally spoken in
the Pontus area on the southern shores
of Black Sea and today is mainly spoken
in northern Greece.
Pontic dialect
The Pontic dialect is directly related to
the ancient Greek language!
The most famous Pontic dance is the Pyrrhic dance
(dance of fire), an ancient Greek war dance.
A Cretan or a Pontic
dance?
A Cretan or a Pontic
dance?
The Cypriot dialect is spoken
by the Greek-Cypriots.
Cypriot &
Tsakonian dialect
Greek-Cypriots love dancing, especially at weddings.
Men always dance separately from the women and
usually in pairs opposite each other.
The Tsakonian dialect comes from an ancient Greek
dialect and is spoken in some areas of southern
Greece.
It is critically endangered, there are only a few hundred
elderly fluent speakers left!
The Tsakonians dance in a circle holding tight each other’s hands.
A Cypriot or a Tsakonian
dance?
A Cypriot or a Tsakonian
dance?
main minority languages
• Turkish
•Arvanitic
The Arvanitic language is mainly
spoken by a large number of the
population in areas around Athens.
Arvanitic la
nguage
Characteristic Arvanitic sound is “ch”,
which doesn’t exist in the Greek language.
It comes from the southern Albanian
language, but has been strongly
influenced by the Greek dialects.
Which of these three words we use
in the Greek language is arvanitic?
• nearos (younge man)
• chupa (girl)
• yineka (woman)
Which of these three words we use
in the Greek language is arvanitic?
• nearos (younge man)
• chupa (girl)
• yineka (woman)
The Turkish language is spoken
in northeastern Greece in Thrace.
Turkish language
Since Greece has been for about four centuries
part of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek language
has incorporated many Turkish words.
Characteristic Turkish sounds are “b – d – g”,
which didn't exist in the ancient Greek language,
But they do exist in Modern Greek.
Which of these three dishes we eat
in Greece is actually Turkish?
• imam baildi (stuffed eggplants)
• fasolada (bean soup)
• melomakarono (dessert with
honey and flour)
Which of these three dishes we eat
in Greece is actually Turkish?
• imam baildi (stuffed eggplants)
• fasolada (bean soup)
• melomakarono (dessert with
honey and flour)
All these people,
from different regions of Greece,
with their dialects and languages,
their songs and dances,
their history and way of life,
their customs and traditions,
have enriched the Greek culture.
Let’s take as example the
“wedding customs”
• There are countless wedding customs in Greece.
• In each wedding one may see something new: e.g.
the shoe of the bride
Before the wedding ceremony, the bride writes down
on the sole of her shoe names of unmarried girls.
If the name of a girl is erased by the end of the day,
this girl will be married soon.
stepping on the footDuring the ceremony, when the priest says: “And the woman
should be afraid of the man”, the bride gently steps on the foot of
the groom in order to tell him that she won’t be afraid of him.
rice throwing
When the wedding ceremony is over and
the married couple exits the church, the
attendants throw plenty of rice to the
couple to take root.
Jordan almonds candies
At the end of the wedding ceremony, each guest gets a little bag
with sugarcoated almonds. If an unmarried woman puts the
almonds under her pillow, she'll dream of her future husband.
All these immigrants from eastern Europe, Asia and
Africa, who are trying to adjust themselves to the
Greek reality, create especially in Athens a colorful
mosaic of ethnicities.
In the last 25 years there was a huge immigration wave
towards Greece.
A multicultural Greece
Lately people from countries in war or very poor countries are crossing the
Mediterranean Sea trying to find a better future.
And they are all gradually adding their weight toa renewed culture of Greece!