Editing Greeks (section)

===Language===
{{Main|Greek language|Greek language question}}
[[File:NAMA Alphabet grec.jpg|thumb|right|Early Greek alphabet, c. 8th century BC]]
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Kostas speaking Greek.webm|thumb|A Greek speaker]]
Most Greeks speak the [[Greek language]], an [[Hellenic languages|independent branch]] of the [[Indo-European languages]], with its closest relations possibly being [[Armenian language|Armenian]] (see [[Graeco-Armenian]]) or the [[Indo-Iranian languages]] (see [[Graeco-Aryan]]).<ref name=Adrados/> It has the longest documented history of any living language and [[Greek literature]] has a continuous history of over 2,500 years.<ref name=BritLit>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Greek literature|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=27 August 2014|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.|location=United States|id=Online Edition|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-literature|access-date=21 June 2022|archive-date=21 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621194153/https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-literature|url-status=live}}</ref> The oldest inscriptions in Greek are in the [[Linear B]] script, dated as far back as 1450 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aegeanscripts.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98:new-linear-b-tablet-found-at-iklaina&catid=80&Itemid=473|title=New Linear B tablet found at Iklaina|publisher=Comité International Permanent des Études Mycéniennes, UNESCO|access-date=29 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015044633/http://www.aegeanscripts.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98:new-linear-b-tablet-found-at-iklaina&catid=80&Itemid=473|archive-date=15 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following the [[Greek Dark Ages]], from which written records are absent, the [[Greek alphabet]] appears in the 9th–8th century BC. The Greek alphabet derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet]], and in turn became the parent alphabet of the [[Latin]], [[Cyrillic]], and several other alphabets. The earliest Greek literary works are the [[Homer|Homeric epics]], variously dated from the 8th to the 6th century BC. Notable scientific and mathematical works include [[Euclid's Elements]], Ptolemy's [[Almagest]], and others. The [[New Testament]] was originally written in [[Koine Greek]].<ref>Aland, K.; Aland, B. (1995). ''The Text of the New Testament''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-4098-1}}.</ref>

Greek demonstrates several linguistic features that are shared with other [[Languages of the Balkans|Balkan languages]], such as [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] and [[Eastern Romance languages]] (see [[Balkan sprachbund]]), and has absorbed many foreign words, primarily of Western European and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] origin.<ref>{{harvnb|Winford|2003|p=71}}.</ref> Because of the movements of [[Philhellenism]] and the [[Diafotismos]] in the 19th century, which emphasized the modern Greeks' ancient heritage, these foreign influences were excluded from official use via the creation of [[Katharevousa]], a somewhat artificial form of Greek purged of all foreign influence and words, as the official language of the Greek state. In 1976, however, the [[Hellenic Parliament]] voted to make the spoken [[Dimotiki]] the official language, making Katharevousa obsolete.<ref>{{harvnb|Mackridge|1990|p=25}}.</ref>

[[Modern Greek]] has, in addition to Standard Modern Greek or Dimotiki, a wide [[Varieties of Modern Greek|variety of dialects]] of varying levels of mutual intelligibility, including [[Cypriot Greek|Cypriot]], [[Pontic language|Pontic]], [[Cappadocian Greek|Cappadocian]], [[Griko language|Griko]] and [[Tsakonian language|Tsakonian]] (the only surviving representative of ancient [[Doric Greek]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Tomić|2006|p=703}}.</ref> [[Yevanic language|Yevanic]] is the language of the [[Romaniotes]], and survives in small communities in Greece, New York and Israel. In addition to Greek, many Greek citizens in Greece and the diaspora are bilingual in other languages such as English, [[Arvanitika]]/Albanian, [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]], [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]], [[Slavic dialects of Greece|Macedonian Slavic]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and Turkish.<ref name=Adrados/><ref>{{harvnb|Fasold|1984|p=160}}.</ref>