Doric Greek

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Greek dialects.png Doric Greek is an ancient Greek dialect; it was likely introduced to mainland Greece from the Balkans during the Dorian invasion (circa 1150 BC), and in classical times it was spoken in large parts of the Peloponnese, plus Crete and Rhodes.

Doric Greek is divided in various local variants, e.g. Laconian, Corinthian, Cretan etc. They are known primarily from inscriptions. The lyric poets (Pindar, Bacchylides, Alcman) use a poetic language which is influenced by certain Doric features. The Syracusan comedy (Sophron, Epicharmus)and the Alexandrine poets (Theocritus, Callimachus) use artificial forms of Doric vernaculars.

The dialects formerly known as North-Western Greek (in Delphi, Locri and Acarnania) are now considered a part of Doric Greek. They differ from the other Doric dialects in two features: dative plural of the third declension in Template:Polytonic (-ois) (instead of Template:Polytonic (-si)) and Template:Polytonic (en) + accusative (instead of Template:Polytonic (eis)).

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Differences between Doric and Attic/Koine

Vocalism

Preservation of long ā (α) where Attic/Koine change it to long open ē (η), as in Template:Polytonic (gā mātēr) "earth mother" — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (gē mētēr).
Contraction ae > Template:Polytonic (ē) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (ā).
Original eo, ea > Template:Polytonic (io, ia) in certain Doric dialects.
Certain Doric dialects ("severe Doric") have Template:Polytonic (ē, ō) for the "spurious diphthongs" Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (ei, ou) (i.e. secondary long ē, ō due to contraction or compensatory lengthening. The most prominent examples are genitive singular in Template:Polytonic (-ō) = Template:Polytonic (-ou), accusative plural in Template:Polytonic (-ōs) = Template:Polytonic (-ous) and the infinitive in Template:Polytonic (-ēn) = Template:Polytonic (-ein).
Short Template:Polytonic (a) = Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic in certain words: Template:Polytonic (hiaros), Template:Polytonic ('*Artamis), Template:Polytonic (ga), Template:Polytonic (ai)

Consonantism

Preservation of Template:Polytonic (-ti) where Attic/Koine have Template:Polytonic (-si). The most prominent examples are: 1) third person singular of the μι-verbs -ti: e.g. Template:Polytonic (phāti) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (phēsi(n)); 2) third person plural of the present and the subjunctive -nti: e.g. Template:Polytonic (legonti) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (legousi(n)); 3) "twenty" Template:Polytonic (wīkati) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (eikosi(n)); and 4) the hundreds in -katioi: e.g. Template:Polytonic (triākatioi) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (triākosioi).
Preservation of double Template:Polytonic (-ss-) before a vowel where Attic/Koine have Template:Polytonic (-s-), e.g. Template:Polytonic (messos) before a vowel where Attic/Koine have Template:Polytonic (mesos).
Preservation of initial w (F) which is lost in Attic/Koine. E.g. Template:Polytonic (woikos) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (oikos). The literary text in Doric and the inscriptions from the Hellenistic age have no digamma.
Template:Polytonic (x) in the aorists and futures of verbs ending in Template:Polytonic (-izō, -azō) where Attic/Koine have Template:Polytonic (s). E.g. Template:Polytonic (agōnisato) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (agōnisato). Similarly Template:Polytonic (k) before suffixes beginning with t.

Morphology

The numeral Template:Polytonic (tetores) "four" instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (tettares (tessares)).
The numeral Template:Polytonic (prātos) "first" instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (prōtos).
The demonstrative pronoun Template:Polytonic (tēnos) "this" instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic ((e)keinos)
Nominative plural of the article and the demonstrative pronoun Template:Polytonic (toi), Template:Polytonic (tai), Template:Polytonic (toutoi), Template:Polytonic (tautai) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (hoi), Template:Polytonic (hai), Template:Polytonic (houtoi), Template:Polytonic (hautai)
The ending of the third person plural of the athematic ("root") preterite is -n, not -san, e.g. Template:Polytonic (edon) — Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (edosan)
First person plural in Template:Polytonic where Attic/Koine have Template:Polytonic.
Future in Template:Polytonic (-se-ō) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (-s-ō), e.g. Template:Polytonic (prāxētai) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (prāxetai).
Modal particle Template:Polytonic (ka) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (an). NB Doric Template:Polytonic (ai ka, ai de ka, ai tis ka) = Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic ((e)an, (e)an de, (e)an tis).
Temporal adverbs in Template:Polytonic (-ka) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (-te): Template:Polytonic (hoka), Template:Polytonic (toka).
Local adverbs in Template:Polytonic (-ei) instead of Attic/Koine Template:Polytonic (-ou): Template:Polytonic (teide), Template:Polytonic (pei).