The island (history, nature, food…)
The local dialect
Lafonisi, pountiasma, alatsogournes: island words shared with Vatika, the Mani, Kythira and Crete.
The people of Elafonisos come from the Mani, Kythira, Vatika and Crete, and you can hear it in how they speak. Many local words are shared with their neighbours, some unchanged and some altered. With Vatika, the mainland opposite, the dialect is almost the same, both in words and in pronunciation.
A few words
Lafonisi: what locals call their island.
Pountiazo: to be chilled to the bone. Pounta is said to take its name from it, as people waited there in the cold for the boat.
Alatsogournes: the hollows in the rocks where sea water evaporates and leaves salt.
Chourchoules: the round white and grey stones of the shore.
Tsafari: a shepherd’s flute.
Charambos: a deep hole in the ground.
Karnagio: the yard where caiques are built and repaired, a Venetian word.
