"Byzantine Greek" redirects here. For the ethnic group, see Byzantine Greeks.
Medieval stage of the Greek language
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Medieval Greek
Byzantine Greek, Romaic
Ῥωμαϊκή Rhōmaïkḗ Romaïkí
Region
Eastern Mediterranean (Byzantine Empire)
Era
c. 600–1500 AD; developed into Modern Greek[1]
Language family
Indo-European
Hellenic
Greek
Attic-Ionic
Koine Greek
Medieval Greek
Writing system
Greek Glagolitic
Official status
Official language in
Byzantine Empire
Language codes
ISO 639-2
grc
ISO 639-3
grc(i.e. with Ancient Greek[2])
Linguist List
qgk
Glottolog
medi1251
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Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
From the 7th century onwards, Greek was the only language of administration and government in the Byzantine Empire. This stage of language is thus described as Byzantine Greek. The study of the Medieval Greek language and literature is a branch of Byzantine studies, the study of the history and culture of the Byzantine Empire.
The beginning of Medieval Greek is occasionally dated back to as early as the 4th century, either to 330 AD, when the political centre of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople, or to 395 AD, the division of the empire. However, this approach is rather arbitrary as it is more an assumption of political, as opposed to cultural and linguistic, developments. Indeed, by this time the spoken language, particularly pronunciation, had already shifted towards modern forms.[1]
The conquests of Alexander the Great, and the ensuing Hellenistic period, had caused Greek to spread to peoples throughout Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean, altering the spoken language's pronunciation and structure.
Medieval Greek is the link between this vernacular, known as Koine Greek, and Modern Greek. Though Byzantine Greek literature was still strongly influenced by Attic Greek, it was also influenced by vernacular Koine Greek, which is the language of the New Testament and the liturgical language of the Greek Orthodox Church.
^ abPeter Mackridge, "A language in the image of the nation: Modern Greek and some parallel cases", 2009.
^a proposal to grant separate code gkm was submitted in 2006, but rejected in 2023. "Change Request Documentation: 2006-084". SIL International. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
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Global Information
Byzantine Empire