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Pontic's linguistic lineage stems from Ionic Greek via Koine and Byzantine Greek and contains influences from Turkish and to a lesser extent, Persian and various Caucasian languages. Pontic is most closely related to Cappadocian Greek, and the Greek spoken in Mariupolis (and formerly in Crimea, Ukraine) (see Mariupolitan Greek). The language is called Rumca in Turkish, derived form the Turkish word Rum denoting ethnic Greeks living in Turkey in general; however, this term comprises other Greek speakers in Turkey such as those from Istambul or Smyrna who speak a language close to Standard Modern Greek. |