Greek introduction
From UniLang Wiki
An Indo-European language, spoken by c. 10 million people in Greece, 700 thousands in Cyprus, in nearby areas of Albania, Turkey and Italy, and as immigrant language in several countries of Europe and America. It is the official language of the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Cyprus. The modern language is found in two main varieties: 'Δημοτική - Dimotiki' (popular language) is based on the spoken language, and is widely used in everyday communication; 'Καθαρεύουσα - Katharévusa' (pure language) reflects the classical language more closely, and was found in official documents, newspapers, and other formal contexts till 1974. Nowadays it is totally forgotten. It's written in the Greek alphabet. The language is attested from around the 14th century BC, the earliest evidence coming from the inscriptions discovered on Crete and South Greece, known as Linear B. The language of this period is known as 'Mycenaean Greek', which needs to be distinguished from the later 'Classical' or 'Ancient Greek', dating from the 8th century BC, when texts came to be written in the Greek alphabet, notably the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. Several major dialect groups are in evidence at that time (e.g. Doric, Ionic, Aeolic). The great period of classical drama, history, philosophy, and poetry lasted until the 4th century BC. A later variety, known as Koiné (Κοινή, common) or 'Hellenistic Greek', was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean from the 4th century BC for c. 800 years. In its written form, this was the language of the New Testament. A period of 'Byzantine Greek' followed, until the 15th century, after which the language developed into 'Modern Greek', the foundation of the varieties in use today.
