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Doric Greek




For the modern Doric dialect of Scotland, see Doric Dialect (Scotland)

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 (''-ois'') (instead of (''-si'')) and (''en'') + accusative (instead of (''eis'')).


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DORIC AND ATTIC / KOINE


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


Consonantism
# Preservation of (''-ti'') where Attic/Koine have (''-si''). The most prominent examples are: 1) third person singular of the μι-verbs ''-ti'': e.g. (''phāti'') — Attic/Koine (''phēsi(n)''); 2) third person plural of the present and the subjunctive ''-nti'': e.g. (''legonti'') — Attic/Koine (''legousi(n)''); 3) "twenty" (''wīkati'') — Attic/Koine (''eikosi(n)''); and 4) the hundreds in ''-katioi'': e.g. (''triākatioi'') — Attic/Koine (''triākosioi'').
# Preservation of double (''-ss-'') before a vowel where Attic/Koine have (''-s-''), e.g. (''messos'') before a vowel where Attic/Koine have (''mesos'').
# Preservation of initial ''w'' ( F ) which is lost in Attic/Koine. E.g. (''woikos'') — Attic/Koine (''oikos''). The literary text in Doric and the inscriptions from the Hellenistic age have no digamma.
# (''x'') in the aorists and futures of verbs ending in (''-izō'', ''-azō'') where Attic/Koine have (''s''). E.g. (''agōnisato'') — Attic/Koine (''agōnisato''). Similarly (''k'') before suffixes beginning with ''t''.

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

Special words
# (''le(i)ō'') "will"; (''draō'') "do", (''paomai'') = (''ktaomai'') "acquire"


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