INTERVIEW OF A. LAZAROU TO FILIAS

~ Για ελληνικά: 

Συνέντευξη του Αχ. Λαζάρου στον Φίλια

In our present note we quote an extract from Dr. Achilleas Lazarou’s television interview (Romanist, Valkanologist) to the Sociologist and former Dean of Pantion University Mr. Filias, where professor (Lazarou) provides information on the Roman linguistic (Latin) influence in the Balkans and brings documents about the Greek origin of the Armanians of Greek territory, through the comparison of the (grammar and syntax) structural elements of ancient folk Greek and folk Latin languages:

Filias: How exactly do you place the issue (question-matter) of Greek Armanians-Vlachs?
Lazarou: A very good in studies in Germany, is the first Modern Greek historian, Konstantinos Koumas, who gave us the best for Armanians- Vlachs. In other words, within the period of the Ottoman Empire, there is a Greek man who explains the gradual extension of Roman domination to Greece areas, too and he even explains the term Vlach. He (Koumas) says that, in accordance to the prevailing view, the term means Latin-speaking people. We will not go into details because literature (bibliography) is vast. What Koumas adds and it is sad that no attention was paid, as required, for reasons of basic professional ethics, is that besides the expansion of Roman influence in the area of the Greek peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula in general, people begin to undergo linguistic influence, too. The question is whether   an exercise of influence in Greek populations would be conceivable. I emphasize on this   because, for many years, a view has prevailed, a view that has taken the form of (doctrine) dogma. This view was: It is not logical   a nation, like Greeks, who used   a culturally superior (to other nations) language, to change and use   Latin language. It stands (fits) as   a doctrine (dogma).  But what lacks is that this dogma has already been refuted (disproved) in interwar period, in 1937, by a French academic of University of Sorbonne, Ferdinand Lo. It is no matter to insist whether the user of Latin language has Greek origin or another origin, for example Illyrian. What matters is, if  Roman government came to exercise command on Greek areas, so smart merchants  of  any form,  scientists of any form, physicians(doctors), etc., first of all, had  to survive and  to use at least an elementary language (he means folk Latin),as it happens universally .This happened in Greece, too!

Filias: May I interrupt, and be the devil's advocate?  We have to clarify two issues so that our viewers, who are not expert on the subject, can understand? First of all , why   have these special populations   been accepters of this Latin-based idiom ,am I right that it is an idiom,

Lazarou: Yes!

Filias: and not other people? Secondly, how do you justify the fact that Armanians-Vlachs are scattered all along the Balkans, so as to arrive at a conclusion   , for at least about Armanians-Vlachs  of Greece, there is no question (we could say) of  ethnic diversity? 

Lazarou: Thank you for good question! Your second question is very important.  I didn’t refer to the ‘adoption’ of the Latin language only to Greek people, but to Moesia, Getae, Dacian people (in other words to the ancestors of modern Romanians).  With your intervention ,you give me the chance to offer to the TV public at large  the following: We can (under linguistics)  discover the origin of  the users of  these Latin idioms, eg  to find out if they are  Dacians (namely Romanians) or Greek, not  from the Latin vocabulary that there is on both sides, but  from the structural (grammar and syntax) elements of  their Latin-based idioms.  I become clear: 

A current Romanian, citizen of Romania (22 million population of 22 million and hundreds of cattle breeders) now when he wants to count his sheep, naturally he uses the number system. When he wants to say specifically 22 sheep, the user of the Latin idiom, beyond the Danube (Romania)   will tell us:  22 sheep = Dou zetse si doi oi = two times ten and two sheep. All words are Latin, the building, but the structural system is absolutely special for the people beyond the Danube. I don’t have time for further interpretation. 

We also have the populations of mountains Olympus, Pindos, Parnassos, Varnounda, our Armanian-Vlachs (Greece), who, in the question of 22 sheep,  will give the following amazing answer: Doi spri yingits gingkits oili (Armanian), which means: duo supra vingkidi oves (Latin). All words are also Latin, but the structural system, in other words the ‘numerical mold- matrix’ is ancient,we can find it in Viotia, Epirus, Thessalian, and Macedonian dialects, namely in Greek areas and we ca also find in both  ancient inscriptions and texts.   German Schwiz   has dealt with the subject and gave us 4 tomes (books). 

Filias: Can you make it more specific? What exactly happens? 

Lazarou: Well, we have folk Greek language and it is more important that it is folk (people of Biotia, Thessaly, Epirus, etc.) 

Filias: We are talking always about Armanian-Vlach populatios?

Lazarou: Sure we are. The ancient shepherd said for number 22:  Dio epi ikati = two over (on) twenty. People of 3rd, 2nd and 1rst BC centuries, who communicated with Romans (they constructed   Via Egnatia  with all  its stations .When we talk  about Via Egnatia we usually mean from  Durres to Constantinople and forget that there are   road junctions  both to north and  south ,Patra, Corinth . In all these branches there are stations. Products are there.To remind you something: When we now travel in the province, we can see where melons, watermelons, peaches, fruit stand to be sold. All ages  this happened). Our simple people ,therefore,  who didn’t go to school to learn Latin, knew the structural system  of Greek folk language, twenty was  ‘ikati’ (dialectical) and to make  number 22 said: Dio epi ikati = two over(on)twenty  .So they, exchanging Greek  words with  the corresponding Latin ones,  said: "duo supra vingiti",  "Doi spri yingits" is  22  in   the Armanian-Vlach idiom today. 

Filias: Mr Lazarou, let me ask the following. From the research you've done, do you think that these Armanian-Vlach populations spoke the Greek language or at least understood it? 

Lazarou: These people were speaking Greek fluently and better Greek than those who doubted them 

Filias:  Do we have documents on it? 

Lazarou: Absolute documents, special studies ... ... 

By Yannis Tsiamitros, teacher of traditional dances. The original article is in Greek and the translation in English is by Yannis. Tsiamitros, too published in local paper “LAOS’, Town Veria, Greece on 07-03-2010.