The greek of Italy between archaism, internal evolution and contact phenomena

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the Greek of Italy with regard to his dialect differentiation and long-term trends. After addresing some issues regarding the absolute and relative chronology of the Doric domain, internal lines of evolution that appear to be characterized by several peculiarities are analysed. The first area is linguistic communication with the motherland. The second is the presence of poles that have promoted linguistic standardization processes (Tarentum, Syracuse) and poles that have been affected by these processes (Rhegium, Siris, Locri). Lastly, particular attention is devoted to the analysis of the interlinguistic contact that characterized the Greek of Italy during the Hellenistic and Roman eras. In order to clarify the dynamics of this contact situation, an analysis is conducted of certain inscriptions that reveal the different types of interference with the Italic languages and Latin.