In a cluster of villages in the rugged mountains of Arcadia in the Peloponnese, echoes of an ancient language can still be heard. This dialect, known as Tsakonika or Tsakonian, is one of the oldest living languages in the world, its roots tracing back to the time of King Leonidas of Sparta. Despite the passage of centuries and the challenges of modern life, the Tsakonian dialect endures thanks to the passion of its few remaining speakers and advocates.

TO BHMA International Edition spoke with teacher, author and folklorist Eleni Manou about the efforts being made to keep the Tsakonian dialect alive and why this matters.

Detail from a traditional Tsakonian outfit. Credit: Tsakonian Archives

A Living Link to Ancient Greece

Tsakonian is much more than just a dialect; it is one of the country’s most significant linguistic and cultural assets. A symbol of continuity that offers valuable insights into Ancient Greek and our cultural past, says Manou.

“Tsakonian is a descendant of the Doric dialect of Ancient Greek. As early as the 6th century BC, a Doric common dialect had spread throughout the Peloponnese. By the 5th century BC, the Attic dialect had begun to prevail soon becoming a Pan-Hellenic language due to Athens’ economic, political, and intellectual influence. The Hellenistic Koine, the lingua franca of the era 323 BC–330 AD, evolved from Attic Greek. Some remote regions, like Tsakonia, were less influenced by the Koine. Tsakonian has preserved many Doric and Laconian elements that are rare or absent in other dialects,” she explains.

Still Spoken in Arcadia

Tsakonian is still spoken today in nine villages on the northeastern slopes of Mount Parnon in Kynouria—Leonidio, Pragmateftis, Melana, Tyros, Sapounakaiika, Agios Andreas, Prastos, Sitaina, and Kastanitsa—as well as in smaller settlements like Vaskina, Paliochora, and Sampatiki.

While estimates vary, Manou disputes the commonly cited figure of 300 speakers. “The true number is higher, particularly among older generations and in more isolated villages. Younger people understand the dialect passively, but often struggle to speak it. Still, some young native speakers do exist,” she tells TO BHMA International Edition.

Image of a classroom where the Tsakonian dialect is still taught today. Credit: Tsakonian Archives

Tsakonian: Very Much Alive

The Tsakonian dialect survives thanks to the dedication and work of  people like Manou, a “Tsakonissa” herself, the Tsakonian Archives, and dozens of local associations. Languages change or disappear as societies evolve, but for Manou, allowing Tsakonian to vanish would mean losing an essential part of Greek heritage.

“A language is a homeland (‘patrida’),” she says. “How can one claim to be Tsakonian without the ability to express oneself in the language that shaped the community over the centuries?”

To illustrate the emotional depth embodied in Tsakonian, she offers a blessing traditionally spoken to newlyweds: “Na syggeráte”. This simple Doric blessing, which means “May you grow old together”, conveys generations of tradition, values, and emotion in just two words.

“A language carries the soul of the community that created it. Through Tsakonian idioms and expressions, many archaic, the worldview and character of the Tsakonian people are revealed.”

Why Conservation Matters

There are nearly 7,000 endangered languages in the world today. When a language dies, it takes with it an entire worldview: rituals, customs, philosophies, and the unique identity of its speakers.

Annual event in Tyros dedicated to Tsakonian traditions. Credit: Tsakonoparea

“Tsakonian is more than a regional dialect. It’s a keeper of our cultural identity and it carries within it the soul, worldview, and traditions of its speakers and the key to understanding the worldview of our ancestors,” says Manou. “It’s not just history, it’s a living, breathing connection to who we are.”

She goes on to stress that the dialect’s value extends beyond the Tsakonia region. “It concerns all Greeks by preserving links to Ancient Greek. Its Doric elements are a linguistic window into our mother tongue and national heritage,” she tells TO BHMA International Edition.

Preservation, she insists, should be active. Which means integrating the language into daily life.”

Barriers to Survival

Despite its historical and cultural value, the centuries-old dialect faces serious challenges. Chief among these inconsistent or limited use even among native speakers.

School children in the village of Leonidio learning Tsakonian: one of the oldest living dialects in the world. Credit: Tsakonian Archives

Manou, who has been teaching Tsakonian to children and adults in the region for more than two decades says this limits younger generations’ exposure. At the same time, many older speakers discourage young learners by criticizing their pronunciation and mistakes.

“I don’t think speakers abandon the language out of ignorance. But I do often wonder, do the Tsakonians want this linguistic code to remain a primary means of communication?”

“This is why I insist: speak! Even if the pronunciation is wrong. With love and gentle correction, you will learn,” she says.

Ties That Hold Us Together

In the face of urbanization and the digital age, Tsakonia is resisting. Local educators, cultural groups, and even members of the diaspora are striving to pass on the language to the next generations through festivals and community efforts.

“I see the results in my daily life. What greater reward than to hear Tsakonian greetings on the street? Or children using it playfully,” Manou says as she recalls a child at a party tiredly collapsing into a chair and speaking in Tsakonian. “I knew then and there that Tsakonia lives on… there is hope.”

As for the younger generations, Manou says they show a keen interest in learning, but modern life gets in the way. Many start with enthusiasm, but abandon it due to lack of time. Still, there is a revival of interest in tradition, especially among young parents who are now participating in cultural events with their children, making traditions part of daily life.

What Can Be Done

Manou lives in Leonidio, the heart of the Tsakonia region. You can hear Tsakonian in the street there. Every year, the town hosts the Tsakonian Eggplant Festival and traditional Easter celebrations. A large sign in Tsakonian greets visitors at its entrance: “Kaour Ekanate” (welcome).

“In all Tsakonian villages, local groups and officials support the dialect and work hard to promote and transmit not only the language but also the traditions to the younger generations,” says Manou. And though rural Greece is experiencing a serious decline in its permanent population, Manou notes that “even a short holiday visit can strengthen children’s bonds with their roots. ‘Things learned young are never forgotten,’ my grandmother used to say.”

Cultural associations like the Tsakonoparea and the Tsakonian Archive as well as diaspora communities are also contributing to the ongoing efforts. But Manou believes more can be done. The Tsakonian Archive could establish an annual monetary award for those actively preserving the dialect. The municipalities of North and South Kynouria could offer scholarships and support to Tsakonian students and scholars.

When asked about the state’s role, she quotes John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

“If Tsakonian parents don’t speak a word of the dialect to their children, what can the state do,” she asks. Still, she dreams of enriched language textbooks highlighting Greece’s dialectal diversity, the introduction of Ancient Greek in primary school with engaging materials, and of Tsakonian being offered at the University of Athens’ Center of Continuing Education, taught by certified teachers.

“I look to the future with optimism,” she says, “and I have deep faith in the enduring strength of our age-old language and of the traditions that bind us together.”