Τ’ εμέτερον!
Project on Pontic Greek by Kitsios Panagiotis
Some general information
• Pontic Greek is a language that linguistically belongs to the
Indo-European languages. It is spoken by the Greek
population that used to live in the southwest coast of Pontos
( Black sea today).
• Officially it is recognized both as a language and as a dialect.
Arguably there are obvious differences especially in the oral
similarities in grammar, syntax and vocabulary with ancient
Greek and the common alphabet used that cause a debate
about whether it is a language of its own or a dialect.
About its speakers past
• Regarding its use, Pontic Greek has been a language spoken
primarily by people whose origin is from the area over its
2300+ years history. time it even used to be the official
language of the Ponto-Armenian
•
In the past, for some (short) state before the Asia Minor
Disaster that forced millions Pontiacs to immigrate to Greece
or some other countries like Russia.
About its speakers
present
• Currently there are approximately 2 million Pontiacs around
the globe, half of them living in Greece and the rest abroad
(mainly Russia, Germany and Ukraine). They are the
descendants of those immigrants that fled from their homes
some 90 years ago and the “living carriers of this language
and its tradition”.
Speakers approximately
country
pontiacs
Greece
1.000.000
Russia
500.000
Germany
150.000
Ukraine
120.000
USA
80.000
Australia
56.000
Georgia
50.000
Kazakstan
25.000
Canada
20.000
Ouzmpekistan
11.000
Armenia
2.000
Σύμφωνα με εκτιμήσεις και το βιβλίο
της Ποντιακής Διασποράς 2000(from wiki)
Why is Ποντιακόν Λαλίαν listed
along with endangered languages?
• With so many Pontiacs around the world it sounds quite surprising
to include Pontic Greek in the endangered language list.
• To be quite honest, Pontic Greek is not a language under eminent
threat or at least not like other languages presented.
• After all it has even survived a genocide.
•
However, the danger or put simply the challenge that this
language has to overcome is to retain its speakers and their
passion on
the long term.
•
Getting into the first
reason
The first factor is linked directly with the very nature of the
population speaking the language. They are people whose
fathers or grandfathers were immigrants and some of them
still are.
•
When the first wave of them (over half a million) came to
Greece in the early 1920s, in Macedonia and in Athens.
• bonded communities : Nearly all of their members spoke
Pontic Greek as their mother tongue and were what they call
Τ’ εμέτερον.
• Over the years many Pontiacs fled abroad.
• The country most usually opted for was by far Russia. Today,
despite the 1990 wave of repatriation over 500,000 live there,
which makes up for 25% of all Pontiacs.
•
Living in a foreign land, they had no choice but to adapt to the
new cultural and linguistic environment they found
themselves in.
• Their mother tongue had to take a second place to the official
language of the country in question,
• Except for when they were at home or with other people they
considered to be ’τ’ εμέτερον’ .
Therefore, retaining the same passion they
used to have for Pontiac Greek was rather
hard and still is.
• With Pontiac populations mixing with “foreigners”
• Alterations are to be expected
• The use of the language was gradually limited and slowly up
to a point faded.
• There can be no doubt that Pontiac Greek is not used as
extensively as it used to be although there are of course
exceptions.
A small example to
illustrate the second factor
• The second factor can be illustrated and explained by a simple
personal example.
• As far as I am concerned, I am 50% Pontiac on my mother’s side.
grandparents can speak more fluently
• My mother has some basic understanding of it but with limitations.
• As for me, all I know are a handful of words, expressions and
idioms, some stories and so on.
• tendency regarding the newer generations to neglect or to
simply not adopt the language of their predecessors
generation
Knowledge of Ποντιακόν Λαλία
Grand grandfather/mother(first
generation)
10/10
Grandfather/mother
10/10
mother
4-5/10
Our generation
0,5-1/10(on avarage)
XY generations later?
Τ’ εμέτερον? Never heard of this
word!
(An example of course)
Efforts to save the
language
•
The majority of these efforts, are carried out either by elders
or by special unions.
•
Although as mentioned earlier, Pontic Greek is losing
potential speakers
•
Most of the elder speakers are going to great lengths to pass
on the language and its tradition to the coming generation….
while they are still young
Pontiac unions
• Pontiac-Unions
• all over the world.
• For refugees = only link to Ποντιακόν Λαλία
• regularly hold events open to the public
• younger generation a chance to come in contact with other
aspects of their culture such as traditional Pontic music and
dances
sources
• Interview of christos amoiridis and kiamanidou eleni
• http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A0%CE%BF%CE%BD%C
F%84%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%AE_%CE%B4%CE%B9
%CE%AC%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BA%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%
82
• https://www.google.gr/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sourc
e=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=V4uRz46iw3NnM&tbnid=QNs3uvDZ_p94JM:&ved=0CAUQj
Rw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aftodioikisi.gr%2Fdiethni%2F
poia-einai-ta-pio-sinithismena-eponima-tis-evropis-deiteto-xarti&ei=e4sLUndHKWX0AWW7YGACg&bvm=bv.61725948,d.d2k&psig=
AFQjCNHdXLoiRJ9CX3le6ddi8VmyB1IGJg&ust=139335188
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