A question of identity : language use in Cyprus

Abstract

This book analyses the findings of a quantitative sociolinguistic survey on language and identity in Cyprus. It focuses on the Cypriots' use of the Greek Cypriot dialect and Standard Modern Greek in different domains and with different interlocutors, and analyses the respondents' language use and their attitudes towards these two varieties, as reflecting an ongoing struggle for their identity. The book throws important light on the processes of nation-building and political and social interaction through language, going on in Cyprus at present, and also provides interesting empirical data on the overt and not-so-overt processes operative within the educational system in this regard. When two languages come in contact, inevitably so, one is given more power and prestige. Although in Cyprus the Greek Cypriot dialect is the mother tongue of most Cypriots, Standard Modern Greek is the prestigious language, the one which holds the political, economic and cultural power in the country. Moreover, the fact that each variety is used in particular settings constitutes a diglossic situation.... The overall sociolinguistic picture that has emerged, points clearly to the determination of the Cypriots to hold tightly on to the Greek Cypriot variety. It is after all their language, a testimony to their remarkable ability to cherish and maintain the group culture and traditions, their collective treasure.