Greqishtja

Greqishtja, the Albanian term for the Greek language, refers to a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken mainly in Greece and Cyprus, with a dispersed global community. Modern Greek is used by roughly 13 million native speakers, with additional learners and second-language speakers worldwide.

Historical development: Greek has a documented history of more than two millennia, beginning with Ancient Greek dialects such as Ionic, Doric, and Attic, and evolving into Koine Greek in the Hellenistic period. The medieval and post-classical stages culminated in Modern Greek.

Varieties and standard form: Modern Greek comprises Demotic Greek, the standard spoken form, and a historically influential archaizing form, Katharevousa, used in official contexts in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the late 20th century, Demotic Greek has been the predominant standard.

Writing system: The Greek alphabet, consisting of 24 letters, has been in continuous use since ancient times. It is written left to right and forms the basis of the modern orthography of Greek, with diacritics indicating stress and other phonological features.

Dialects and distribution: In addition to the standard language, Greek includes regional varieties such as Cypriot Greek, Pontic, Cretan, and other dialects. Greek is an official language of Greece and one of the official languages of Cyprus, with the language widely taught and used in education, media, and daily life.