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How did the Koine Greek language develop during the Hellenistic period?
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Greek literature
A map shows the major regions and cities of ancient Greece.
The Koine (or "common language") developed during the Hellenistic period as a relatively uniform dialect that emerged following the collapse of traditional political barriers and the establishment of Alexander the Great’s empire in the 4th century BCE.12
As Greek became the standard language of administration, culture, and commerce across new urban centers in Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor, it evolved through the following processes:
- Foundation: While based primarily on the Attic dialect due to the cultural influence of Athens, the language absorbed numerous non-Attic elements as it spread.12
- Simplification: The language underwent significant grammatical and phonological simplification. This included the loss of the dual number and the optative mood, as well as the merger of various vowel sounds.1
- Linguistic Shift: Consonants evolved toward fricative articulations, and vocabulary shifted as the language incorporated new terms and meanings, moving closer to the structure of Modern Greek.1
This divergence from classical norms eventually led to the rise of Atticism, a purist movement that sought to restore classical standards in writing, creating a lasting rift between the everyday spoken language and an archaizing written style.31