Here are the thoughts of some more Greeks of the early to mid 20th century, that, along with Melas and Dragoumis, also confirm the existence of a Macedonian identity and language.
Salvanos, Greek Military, considered 50-75% of any given village in western (Greek-occupied) Macedonia to be peopled by Macedonians (Makedones), who are not concerned with (imposed) nationality. However, those that do opt to succumb to the propaganda of either the imposed Greek or Bulgarian 'nationality' are called fanatics by the writer. The normal one's remained Macedonian.

Penelope Delta is a Greek writer that assisted the Greek cause of usurpation, nevertheless, even she cannot evade the truth, and despite the so-called 'mixture' or influence of the balkan 'nations', nearly all of the people spoke one tongue and it was called Macedonian. This clear fact signifies where the strength in terms of native characteristics and culture rested for the Macedonians. It seems that the best some Greek writers can do to scrape something from the bottom of the bowl is making reference to the Macedonian language in a manner which suggests a greater Greek influence than reality demonstrates. Perhaps she obtained this information from her boyfriend and man in hiding with whom she was having an affair, Ion Dragoumis, who is cited by Karakasidou as saying almost exactly the same thing, ie; that Macedonian is a blend of Slavic and Greek, which is completely false.
The Macedonians have been robbed and cheated by the Greeks and Bulgars, the Macedonians need to protect their history from all the wolves.
Salvanos, Greek Military, considered 50-75% of any given village in western (Greek-occupied) Macedonia to be peopled by Macedonians (Makedones), who are not concerned with (imposed) nationality. However, those that do opt to succumb to the propaganda of either the imposed Greek or Bulgarian 'nationality' are called fanatics by the writer. The normal one's remained Macedonian.

Penelope Delta is a Greek writer that assisted the Greek cause of usurpation, nevertheless, even she cannot evade the truth, and despite the so-called 'mixture' or influence of the balkan 'nations', nearly all of the people spoke one tongue and it was called Macedonian. This clear fact signifies where the strength in terms of native characteristics and culture rested for the Macedonians. It seems that the best some Greek writers can do to scrape something from the bottom of the bowl is making reference to the Macedonian language in a manner which suggests a greater Greek influence than reality demonstrates. Perhaps she obtained this information from her boyfriend and man in hiding with whom she was having an affair, Ion Dragoumis, who is cited by Karakasidou as saying almost exactly the same thing, ie; that Macedonian is a blend of Slavic and Greek, which is completely false.
Macedonia was then a mixture of all Balkan nations. Greeks, Bulgarians, Aromanians, Serbs, Albanians, Christians and Muslims, lived higgledy-piggledy under the heavy yoke of the Turks. Their language was the same, Macedonian, also a blend of Slav and Greek, mixed with Turkish words. As in the Byzantine era, the populations were so mixed that it was difficult to tell apart a Greek from a Bulgarian -the two dominant races. Their only national consciousness was the Macedonian one.
When though Bulgarians declared their religious independence and, in Constantinople, the Exarch was recognized as the head of the Bulgarian Church instead of the Patriarch, and when the 1872 Synod [of the Patriarchate] declared the Bulgarians schismatic, Macedonia was divided in Patriarchate Greeks and Exarchate Bulgarians, and so were divided the people of the same area, the same village -even the same family.
When though Bulgarians declared their religious independence and, in Constantinople, the Exarch was recognized as the head of the Bulgarian Church instead of the Patriarch, and when the 1872 Synod [of the Patriarchate] declared the Bulgarians schismatic, Macedonia was divided in Patriarchate Greeks and Exarchate Bulgarians, and so were divided the people of the same area, the same village -even the same family.
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