Attic Greek

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Distribution area of ​​the Greek dialects. Attic in pink

The Attic Greek is a dialect of ancient Greek , in Attica , the region around Athens was spoken. The Attic of the 5th century BC BC is considered to be the classical form of Greek . The common language ( Koine ) of the Hellenistic period is largely based on it , from which modern Greek in turn developed. Within the ancient Greek dialects, the Attic is closely related to the Ionic dialect .

meaning

The most important writings of the classical period were written in Attic, including the works of the philosophers Plato and Aristotle , the historians Xenophon and Thucydides, and the playwrights Aeschylus , Sophocles and Aristophanes . The political, economic and cultural supremacy of Athens made the Attic the basis of the supraregional common language (Koine) of the Hellenistic period, which rose to the world language through the conquests of Alexander the Great and gradually supplanted the other Greek dialects. From the 1st century AD, Atticism emerged , a movement that sought to “purify” Greek and revert to classical Attic. The ancient model became the norm in high-level Greek. Until the second half of the 20th century, a form of modern Greek ( Katharevussa ) based on the Attic was taught as the state language in schools.

Characteristics

The following features distinguish the Attic from the other ancient Greek dialects:

  • Original long ᾱ (ā) remains after ι , ρ , ε (i, r, e) (so-called Alpha purum ), otherwise it becomes η (ē).
    Example: Attic ἱστωρίᾱ (histōriā) versus ionic ἱστωρίη (histōriē) and Attic μήτηρ (mētēr) versus Doric μάτηρ (mātēr)
  • ττ (tt) instead of σσ (ss)
    Example: Attic θάλαττα (thalatta) versus ionic θάλασσα (thalassa)
  • Consistent contraction of vowels
    Example: Attic γένη (genē) versus ionic γένεα (genea).

literature