It\'s all Greek to me (Makedonians included) ...

[Paralus]

It is very pleasing to see this thread now having reached its fourth page...

I agree and, must say, am rather surprisied given previous experience in these discussions.

The British Isles is of a similar size to Greece and its immediate isles, and also has the same issues with regard to language. Ignoring the non-English tongues (of which there are a few in all the constituent states) the variety of accents and dialects would be bewildering to English speakers from the Anglophone diaspora who often live in far larger geographic areas, but which have far less variation in the form of that spoken language.

Absolutely - viz my metaphor the Londoner and Orkney Islander. The observations about the US and Oz are correct as well. Aside from an appended "eh" (QLD) and "castle" as in cat (Vic), regional variation, though apparent, is limited. It is more so in the US but your observation about the "middle states" is on the mark.

To me it is clear that there was a Macedonian dialect and that it was not often readily understood by city state Greeks. The court and its hetairoi spoke "standard Greek" well enough but, as the instance above at Cleitus' murder shows, spoke to the rank and file in the "Macedonian speech". I have little doubt as to why Eumenes sent Xenias as his emisary to the Macedonian phalanx of Neoptolemus and it had nothing to do with hiding the Greek nature of Eumenes. The Macedonians of Neoptolemus were of the royal army were well aware who the commander of the opposing army was - particularly as Neoptolemus had disregarded royal orders to work under him. There was absolutely no reason for Eumenes to "show the other side that he was no stranger and that he also commanded Macedonians" as George /Macedon claims as he'd already been to Armenia and sorted out the problems with Neoptolemus' Macedonians. Thus he sends Xenias to be certain his propositions are understood by them there "Orkney Islanders"....