In April we welcomed the 8th General Lyceum of Patras, to our Laboratory. The second-year high school students were given a “tour” of the Greek-speaking villages of Southern Italy and learned about Griko, the dialect spoken in the villages of Salento.
The visit was organized by our valued collaborator Mr. Dimitris Stafidas, a Greek language professor at the Laboratory, who was also the main speaker.
Mr. Stafidas handed out cards with basic Griko vocabulary and a dialogue recorded in the dialect by Mr. and Mrs. Palma.
The students were also informed about the customs and traditions of the Greek-speaking villages, their music and dance, and especially about the issue of migration, which has left entire villages depopulated.
From the school, Mr. Christos Alpochoritis, a theology professor, spoke about religious customs and Byzantine churches, while one of the students gave a presentation on language ideologies under the guidance of philologist Ms. Kollyropoulou.
We warmly thank the students, teachers Ms. Kollyropoulou, Ms. Karagianni, Ms. Garila, and Mr. Alpochoritis for their lovely visit, and Mr. Stafidas for his wonderful work in connecting us with the Griko language and the Greek-speaking communities of Southern Italy.
