Aromanians in Greece: Minority or Vlach-speaking Greeks? by Thede Kahl* Abstract At the latest since the existence of the so-called "Aromanian question" are the Aromanians split into different factions concerning their identity, i.e. those who consider themselves as being Romanian, those who consider themselves as being Greek and those who consider themselves as being "purely" Aromanian. Due to increasing contacts to the Greek language as an important commercial language and by the influence of Greek culture, a growing number of Aromanians identify themselves as Greek. While activities for a specifically Aromanian identity and language can be observed mainly in the Aromanian diaspora, Aromanians in Greece refuse the classification as a minority and do not use their language in schools and the media. In Greece the national identification of most Aromanians takes place through modern Hellenism. But to belong to the Hellenes does not automatically mean being Greek. The article discusses the different meanings of the pairs of terms "Vlach/Aromanian", "Minority/Vlach-speaking Greek", "Hellene/Greek". It tries to describe the aspects which hindered the evolution of an Aromanian nationhood and analyses the contemporary situation of a minority that behaves like a majority. * First published in Minorities in Greece - historical issues and new perspectives . Jahrbücher für Geschichte und Kultur Südosteuropas (History and Culture of South Eastern Europe), Vol. 5. (2003). Publ. by Slavica Verlag, Dr. Anton Kovac , München (Munich) 2004, pp. 205-219. Our thanks to Thede Kahl and Dr. Kovac for permission to republish. "Vlachs" and "Aromanians" Even experts on Greek issues or Southeastern Europe have often never even heard of Vlachs or Aromanians because they appear as Greeks, Romanians, Albanians, Serbs etc. [1] But if somebody begins to study them and to trace their footprints, he will quickly observe that there is hardly any part of the Balkan peninsula where they have not played a role. The non-uniform use of the terms Vlachs and Aromanians requires a short definition. [2] The term Vlachs is not only the more widely used of the two, but it can refer to varied groups like the so calledMeglenoromanians, the Istroromanians, the Timok Vlachs, the ancestors of the Romanians or the Vlach Roma. In Greece there can be found Aromanians (known also as Aroumanians, Aromunians, Cincars, Kutsovlachs,