Western Greek Islands talk · Languages in Western Greek Islands

Languages in Western Greek Islands

A church in Corfu town.

Greek is the native language of the Heptanesians. Italian was widely spoken as a foreign language as well as a mother tongue before the Union of these islands with Greece. This was due to the Venetian rule over the islands which lasted for handred years. During Venetian rule, many of the upper classes spoke Italian (or Venetian in some cases) and converted to Roman Catholicism, there was also a 'colonization' of Italian (Venetian) soldiers (stradioti) and wealthy families to these islands. These groups were in a big scale assimιlated to the Greek nation and religion (Eastern Orthodoxy) mainly due to mixed marriages. During the Ionian independence (Septinsular Republic) and the British protection Italian language was the co-official language of this small state along with Greek. After WW2 a decline on knowledge of Italian were noticed. Nowadays Italian language is being teached at schools, and although the perchentage of people speaking Italian as a second language has been increased, English is the most widely studied and understood of foreign languages in the islands, followed by Italian, French, and then German. The local Greek dialect can be described as a 'sing-song', with strong Italian influence on the vocabulary and pronounciation. So it is possible that many words used by the old people from the Heptanese aren't understandable amongst other Greeks.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Western Greek Islands

Islands in Western Greek Islands
Cities in Western Greek Islands
Other destinations in Western Greek Islands
Western Greek Islands tourist information
Languages in Western Greek Islands
How to get in Western Greek Islands
Get around Western Greek Islands
Western Greek Islands attractions
Itineraries in Western Greek Islands
Western Greek Islands activities: What to do in Western Greek Islands
Eating in Western Greek Islands
Drink in Western Greek Islands
Western Greek Islands travel safety advice
How to get out Western Greek Islands

Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Western Greek Islands - updated Apr 2024

SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Western Greek Islands hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!

>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<

WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020

Western Greek Islands Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

Languages in Western Greek Islands