Demotic Greek
The Athens-based standard of modern Greek, derived from the Demotic vernacular and codified in the late 20th century.
Pontic Greek
Also known as: Romeyka, Pontiaka
The Greek variety historically spoken along the Pontic coast of the Black Sea, brought to mainland Greece by refugees of the 1923 population exchange. Its Anatolian-resident form (Romeyka) survives among Muslim communities near Trabzon.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Pontic Greek?
Pontic Greek is a dialect of the Greek language.
Where is Pontic Greek spoken?
Pontic Greek is primarily spoken in Greece, Türkiye, Russia, Georgia.
Which region is Pontic Greek associated with?
Pontic Greek is part of the Europe region on DialectAtlas.
Is Pontic Greek known by other names?
Yes — Pontic Greek is also referred to as Romeyka, Pontiaka.
What are the other dialects of Greek?
Greek also includes Standard Modern Greek, Cypriot Greek, Cretan Greek, Tsakonian, Cappadocian Greek, Griko, Mariupolitan Greek. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Greek dialects
See on the atlas →Kypriaki
The Greek of Cyprus, distinct from Standard Modern Greek in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Preserves a number of medieval features.
The Greek of Crete. The literary medium of the late-medieval Cretan Renaissance and the basis of a long oral and musical tradition.
Tsakonika
The only living descendant of ancient Doric Greek, spoken in a few villages of the Peloponnese around Leonidio. Critically endangered; structurally distinct from all other Greek varieties, which descend from Attic-Ionic.
The Greek of inner Anatolia, isolated for centuries before the 1923 population exchange brought its speakers to Greece. Heavily Turkic-influenced; once thought extinct but rediscovered in central Greece in the 2000s.
Italiot Greek · Salentino Greek
The Greek of southern Italy, spoken in two enclaves in Salento and Calabria. A direct descendant of the Magna Graecia varieties; one of the oldest continuously-spoken Greek varieties outside Greece.
Rumeika · Azov Greek
The Greek of the Mariupol region in Ukraine, descended from communities resettled from Crimea by Catherine the Great in 1778. Endangered; structurally close to Pontic Greek.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →77 km away
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The Turkish varieties of the Balkans, surviving from Ottoman-era settlement. Spoken across pockets of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and northern Greece.
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The Sofia-based standard of Bulgarian. A South Slavic language with one of the most analytical grammars in the family, having lost most case marking in favour of articles and prepositions.
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The Istanbul-area standard of Turkish. The basis of the modern written language and of broadcast Turkish.