'''Greekꯒ꯭ꯔꯤꯛ''' ([[Modern Greek|Modernꯑꯅꯧꯕ Greekꯒ꯭ꯔꯤꯛ]]: {{Lang|el|ελληνικά}} ''elliniká'') ꯍꯥꯏꯕꯁꯤ ꯃꯅꯤꯡꯇꯝꯕ is an independent branch of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] ꯂꯣꯟꯁꯤꯡꯅꯤ, family of languages, native to [[Greece|Greece]], [[Cyprus|Cyprus]] and other parts of the [[Eastern Mediterranean|Eastern Mediterranean]] and the [[Black Sea|Black Sea]].ꯗ Itꯒ꯭ꯔꯤꯛ hasꯂꯣꯟ theꯑꯁꯤ longestꯌꯦꯜꯍꯧ documentedꯂꯣꯟꯅꯤ history꯫ ofꯏꯟꯗꯣ-ꯏꯎꯔꯣꯄꯤꯌꯥꯟ anyꯂꯣꯟꯒꯤ livingꯈꯨꯋꯥꯏꯗꯒꯤ Indo-Europeanꯂꯤꯕ language,ꯄꯨꯋꯥꯔꯤ spanningꯂꯩꯕ moreꯆꯩꯍꯤ than꯳꯰꯰꯰ 3000ꯒꯤ yearsꯃꯊꯛꯇꯥ ofꯑꯌꯤꯕ ꯆꯦꯛꯁꯤꯟꯅ ꯊꯝꯍꯧꯕꯗꯒꯤ ꯊꯤꯖꯤꯟꯕꯗ writtenꯐꯪꯕꯅꯤ records.꯫<ref>{{Cite web|title=Greek language|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]|accessdate=29 April 2014|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244595/Greek-language}}</ref> Its writing system has been the [[Greek alphabet|Greek alphabet]] for the major part of its history; other systems, such as [[Linear B|Linear B]] and the [[Cypriot syllabary|Cypriot syllabary]], were used previously.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A history of the Greek language : from its origins to the present|last=1922-|first=Adrados, Francisco Rodríguez|date=2005|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-12835-4|location=Leiden|oclc=59712402}}</ref> The alphabet arose from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician script]] and was in turn the basis of the [[Latin script|Latin]], [[Cyrillic|Cyrillic]], [[Armenian alphabet|Armenian]], [[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]], [[Gothic alphabet|Gothic]], and many other writing systems.
