Nεοελληνικές διάλεκτοι [Modern Greek dialects]

This two-volume collection will present the research findings of Modern Greek dialectology to date, and will lay the groundwork for novel scientific thinking, based on more recent data and taking modern linguistic theory into account.

The first volume will be an extensive Introduction and the second one will systematically examine individual dialects and idioms. The second volume, which will be published first, is almost complete. It contains monographs of about 80-100 pages each on the following dialects: Pontic, Crimean-Azophic, Thracian-Bithynian, Cappadocian, the remaining Asia Minor idioms (Livisi, Pharasa, Sille), Cypriot, Tsakonian, Peloponnesian, the dialect of Mani, Megarian-Koumiotic, the dialects of Crete, the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and Cyclades, as well as the dialect of Southern Italy and the idioms of Northern Greece. There are also separate, smaller contributions, e.g. on the idioms of Chios and Smyrna.

Each contribution begins with a description of the geographical and historical context within which each dialect evolved, and goes on to present a review of related research to date. As far as the general characteristics of each dialect are concerned, 24 basic phonetic, morphological, syntactic and lexical isoglosses are selected, based on which the dialects are classified and situated in dialectal space. More particular characteristics of each dialect are presented next, and reference is made to their earliest known forms. Finally, the reader is given some idea of intra-dialectal differentiation.

The systematic description of each dialect begins with phonetics and phonology, moves on to morphology, syntax, the lexicon, phraseology, derivation and compounding, and ends with an investigation of each dialect’s relationship with other dialects and languages as well as a review of its present-day state. After a brief reference to any contemporary written production that might exist for each dialect, each contribution is brought to completion with the presentation of annotated dialectal texts and, of course, the relevant references.

The collection’s editor is professor of Historical and Balkan Linguistics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.