Meglenitic

Meglenitic typically refers to Meglenitic Greek, a language variety spoken by the Meglenites, a Greek-speaking community historically associated with the Meglen region in the southern Balkans. In linguistic literature, it is commonly treated as either a distinct language within the Greek family or a highly divergent Greek dialect.

Geographically, the Meglenitic speech community historically occupied areas around the Meglen region in what are now northern Greece and southwestern North Macedonia. Today, speakers are dispersed, and transmission to younger generations has largely ceased in many communities, leaving a small number of fluent elderly speakers. As a result, Meglenitic Greek is regarded as endangered by language experts.

Linguistically, Meglenitic Greek is part of the Greek branch of the Indo-European family. It shares the core grammar and lexicon of Greek but shows distinctive phonological, lexical, and syntactic features due to contact with neighboring Balkan languages, including Macedonian/Bulgarian and Vlach varieties. There is no widely standardized orthography; when written, it has most often used the Greek script. Documentation remains limited to grammars, dictionaries, and ethnographic descriptions produced by researchers.

The Meglenites maintain a long-standing cultural tradition in the region, with language playing a central role in community identity. Ongoing language shift toward standard Greek or Macedonian reinforces its endangered status, though scholarly documentation and local revitalization efforts continue in academic and community contexts.