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)).

Tsakonian Greek, a descendant of Doric Greek, is still spoken by some on the southern Argolid coast of the Pelopponese in the modern prefecture of Arcadia , and is a source of considerable interest to linguists.

Differences between Doric and Attic/Koine

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Vocalism

1. 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).
2. Contraction ae > (ē) instead of Attic/Koine (ā).
3. Original eo, ea > (io, ia) in certain Doric dialects.
4. 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).
5. Short (a) = Attic/Koine in certain words: (hiaros), ('*Artamis), (ga), (ai'')

Consonantism

1. 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).
2. Preservation of double (-ss-) before a vowel where Attic/Koine have (-s-), e.g. (messos) before a vowel where Attic/Koine have (mesos).
3. 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.
4. (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

1. The numeral (tetores) "four" instead of Attic/Koine (tettares (tessares)).
2. The numeral (prātos) "first" instead of Attic/Koine (prōtos).
3. The demonstrative pronoun (tēnos) "this" instead of Attic/Koine ((e)keinos)
4. Nominative plural of the article and the demonstrative pronoun (toi), (tai), (toutoi), (tautai) instead of Attic/Koine (hoi), (hai), (houtoi), (hautai)
5. The ending of the third person plural of the athematic ("root") preterite is -n, not -san, e.g. (edon) — Attic/Koine (edosan)
6. First person plural in where Attic/Koine have .
7. Future in (-se-ō) instead of Attic/Koine (-s-ō), e.g. (prāxētai) instead of Attic/Koine (prāxetai).
8. 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).
9. Temporal adverbs in (-ka) instead of Attic/Koine (-te): (hoka), (toka).
10. Local adverbs in (-ei) instead of Attic/Koine (-ou): (teide), (pei).

Special words

1. (le(i)ō) "will"; (draō) "do", (paomai) = (ktaomai) "acquire"

See also

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• Tsakonian language
• Griko language

External links

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• New Pauly Online

Hellenic languages and dialects | Dorisches Griechisch