By Sarah-Claire Jordan
Cyprus is a country that is a mix of different cultures. Settled by Greeks, ruled by Britain, and later invaded by Turkey, not to mention its proximity to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt, it’s no wonder it ended up becoming such a melting pot. Despite so much outside influence, however, Cyprus managed to hang on to its own culture and integrate aspects of others rather than be completely eclipsed.
There are two official languages of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish, as well as many others recognized as minority languages. English is widely spoken, but no longer has the official status it had during British rule. The most interesting languages in Cyprus, however, are the vernacular languages. Here are the four most common vernacular languages native to Cyprus:
1. Cypriot Greek
Greek was originally brought over to Cyprus between the 12th and 11th centuries BCE, but the variety of Greek that shaped Cypriot Greek the most is that of Medieval Greece. This probably led to Cypriot Greek being so different from Standard Modern Greek in so many ways. In fact, many dialects of Greek are not mutually intelligible with Cypriot Greek. All Cypriot Greek speakers are also fluent in Standard Modern Greek, as this is the variety used as the official language of instruction in the Greek areas of Cyprus. This diglossia means Cypriot Greeks have no problem switching between the two dialects depending on the situation.
2. Cypriot Turkish
There is a similar diglossic relationship between Cypriot Turkish and Standard Turkish. Turkish came to Cyprus through the Ottoman Empire, and has since then evolved to become what we call Cypriot Turkish today. It differs from Standard Turkish in terms of pronunciation, grammar, and a bit of semantics. Standard Turkish is used in Turkish broadcasts, schools, and for official documents, but Cypriot Turkish and Standard Turkish are used equally in formal settings.
3. Cypriot Arabic
This vernacular language is not considered one of the two official languages of Cyprus, but it does carry minority language status. Arabic was first brought over to Cyprus by Arabic-speaking religious refugees from Syria and Lebanon who arrived between the 9th and 10th centuries. Cypriot Arabic has many loanwords from Greek as well as Syriac that most other dialects of Arabic don’t have. Unfortunately, this dialect of Arabic is at risk of dying out, with very few people claiming it as their native language in the last census report for the country.
4. Kurbetcha
The last vernacular language of Cyprus to be touched upon is the language of the Kurbet, or Roma, people of Cyprus. Their language, Kurbetcha, is a creole language that utilizes Cypriot Turkish grammar and Romani vocabulary. Very little has been done to investigate this language any further, and most Kurbet people also speak Turkish or Greek, depending on the region of Cyprus the live in. The two official languages of Cyprus are starting to eclipse Kurbetcha, with Kurbet children not learning the language of their culture anymore.
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