Trabzon (Trabezounta)

Originally the main body of Pontian Greeks were settled (in fairly broad terms) along the coastal belt of the Black Sea ranging from about Inebolu in the west to the Of valley in the east (east of Trabzon). From Rize eastwards was the main area of Laz population. The two main concentrations of Greeks in the region centred around Trabzon (Trabezounta) and Samsun (Amisos). The latter area included a good number of 'Turkish-speakers'. There was some extension of Pontians into the hinterland towards Amasya (Amaseia) in the east and in the area of Gumushane (Argyroupolis) in the west. The Argyroupolis area was also noted for its strong mining tradition and is know to have sent out numerous Pontian mining colonies to other regions of Anatolia and the Caucasus region - especially in the 1800s. The Pontians of the Kars region were actually immigrants to that area; they were not natives to an area which many Pontians mistakenly count as having been part of the 'Pontus'.With the exchange of populations in 1923, many Greek(Pontian)-speaking Muslims remained in Turkey. They were/are concentrated particulalry in the regions of Of and Tonia.The refugee Pontians were settled mainly in Macedonia (especially Thessaloniki and eastern Macedonia) - taking the place, along with Anatolian and Thracian Greek refugees, of the previous Muslim population there - as well as in the slum suburbs that sprung up around Athens with the influx of the refugees.I disagree with Red's deduction that the dialect has disappeared. It is very much alive - particularly in villages/suburbs in Greece that were almost exclusively settled with Pontians. Here in Australia it is alive and kicking and is the primary medium of communication between Pontians when they are in exclusivel Pontian company. However, this applies to Pontians in their late 50s or 60s and onwards. The younger generation will speak English if not standard modern Greek but would certainly possess a passive knowledge of the dialect. Although the dialect is definitely starting to break down in the face of modern Greek, and will inevitably disappear like all dialects, a perusal of Youtube etc will show that the Pontians - short of the assimilation Red mentions - are entirely aware of, and very proud of, their specific position with the Greek body.I have some personal knowledge of these people and I can assure you that if you know only conventional modern Greek it is unlikely that you will understand 'fully-blown' Pontian beyond getting the 'gist' within the context of the conversation. You might have greater hope of comprehension if the speed is reduced and explanations are offered along the way. It is quite remarkable how many 'old' Greek forms have been retained in the Pontian dialect and how often it has developed along separate, albeit unique Greek, lines. I remember my impression on reading G. P. Shipp's very large book "Modern Greek Evidence for the Ancient Greek Vocabulary (1979)" that Pontian was rather inordinately represented within.