LiVVaL Linguaggio e Variazione | Variation in Language

Series | LiVVaL
Edited book | Heritage Languages and Variation
Chapter | Di(a)glossia and Political Ideology in Grecophone Cyprus

Di(a)glossia and Political Ideology in Grecophone Cyprus

Moribundity Resistance, Diglossic Nostalgia, and a Sociolinguistic ‘Buffer Zone’

Abstract
Cyprus holds a storied past of self-determination – a hallmark of endangerment – serving as a backdrop for the trajectory of Cypriot Greek. In Cyprus, waning minority varieties are juxtaposed with Standard Greek, as is the native majority lect, Cypriot Greek. The relationship of Cypriot to Standard is often seen as diglossic; it is attenuated, toward diaglossia, characterized by dialect moribundity; it is further complicated by socio-politically ideological factors, with Standard Greek (H) indexing Cypriot Hellenism (vs. Cypriotism, ‘true’ local Cypriot nationalism), resulting in a tension between dialect revitalization and diglossic maintenance.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: July 26, 2023 | Accepted: Nov. 16, 2023 | Published July 18, 2024 | Language: en

Keywords PrestigeMoribundityDiaglossiaDiglossic shiftRevitalizationIdeology


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