Listen closely. You'll hear snippets of the Cypriot Greek dialect in this excerpt from the Chronicles of Leontios Machairas as he describes a particularly compelling event during Genoese invasion of Nicosia in the 14th century. But this excerpt was chosen not for the story per se. Rather, it was chosen for its rich Cypriot vernacular. Word use, such as θωρώ (i.e., to see) heard in this excerpt, have their roots in antiquity (see: θεωρῶ) and were preserved from the Koine into medieval Greek. Many are commonly used today in Cypriot vernacular. Other noticeable words in this recording, such as έσσω (home) and ηὗρεν (found), should be familiar to the modern ear. The Chronicles of Leontios Machairas is one of our earliest sources that both documents the historical developments in medieval Cyprus and provides us the distinct beginnings of the modern Cypriot dialect (though not the first. That would be the medieval law code, The Assizes). There are, however, roots that may go further back into antiquity. Next month, I invite Stavroula Varella (King's College London) author of the fantastic book "Language Contact and the Lexicon in the History of Cypriot Greek" to discuss the origins and evolution of the Cypriot Greek dialect! ...and if you've enjoyed this particular Primary Source, please consider becoming a Patreon member! https://www.patreon.com/TheHistoryofCyprusPodcast For as little as $1 a month, your financial support helps keep the podcast ad-free, offsets the costs of hosting the podcast and funds future primary source recordings like the one you just enjoyed. All members, regardless of which tier they subscribe to, can have access to this month's primary source recording entirely in its Medieval Greek, allowing you to get a better sense of the nuances of the Cypriot dialect in full! And if you become a third tier member, you can have early access to upcoming episodes. Thank you for your support in helping make The History of Cyprus accessible to all!