The term Tsakonas or Tzakonas first emerges in the writings of Byzantine chroniclers who derive the ethnonym from a corruption of Lakonas, a Laconian/Lacedaemonian (Spartan)—a reference to the See more

There are three subdialects of Tsakonian: Northern, Southern, and Propontis.
The Propontis dialect was spoken in what was formerly a … See more

There has always been contact with Koine Greek speakers and the language was affected by the neighboring Greek dialects. Additionally, there … See more

Vowels
• A /a/ can appear as a reflex of Doric /aː/, in contexts where Attic had η [ɛː] and Modern Greek has /i/: αμέρα "day" /aˈmera/ corresponding to Modern ημέρα /iˈmera/ "day", κρέφτα "thief" [ˈkrefta] corresponding to … See more

Tsakonian is found today in a group of mountain towns and villages slightly inland from the Argolic Gulf, although it was once spoken farther to the south and west as well as on the coasts of Laconia (ancient Sparta).
Geographical barriers … See more

Another difference between Tsakonian and the common Demotic Greek dialect is its verb system – Tsakonian preserves different archaic forms, such as participial periphrasis for … See more

Tsakonian has undergone considerable morphological changes: there is minimal case inflection.
The present and … See more