Sotos wrote:It appears that Galician is not even a dialect of Spanish, but actually more related to Portuguese, which renders your whole argument void.
I never ever claimed that Galician was a dialect of Spanish (a.k.a Castillian). As I said before, both Galician and Castilian are Iberian dialects of Latin that evolved into different languages. At some point Galician and Portugese had a common ancestor that diverged into two branches. Both Portugese and Galician are considered seperate languages even when their common ancestor is more recent that the one of mainland Greek and Cypriot Greek.
Nonsense. The pathway is clear to all that can study history and making the dialect an official language wouldn't change anything at all. So basically you couldn't even find a single real and practical benefit!
(A') Brand recognition. (B')Arousal of the interest of international linguists to explore the Greek Cypriot language to its absolute depths. (C') Birth of a Greek identity that Greek Cypriots can truly identify with, that doesn't obstruct or occlude their Cypriotness or tell them that they are a sub-culture.
Sotos wrote:1. Less of our students will be able to study at Greek universities
Galicians speak perfect Castillian (Spanish) because they are taught it from birth and at school, just as Greek Cypriots will also learn standard Greek from birth and at school.
Sotos wrote:2. Communication between Cypriot and Greek traders and businessmen would become more difficult
I speak fluent Spanish and never had a problem communicating with any Galician during my stay there. They did teach me a few of their words and expressions for fun and I used what they taught me to better connect with other Galicians.
Sotos wrote:3. Reduced ability to read the books written in standard Greek (which will always be many times more the number of books that could be written in the Cypriot dialect).
4. Most large software companies will not bother creating a version of their software for a language spoken by just half a million people.
Congrats, you just managed to regurgitate the same bullshit four times in four different ways. Even Basques, who are taught and speak a language that has nothing to do with Spanish (Castillian) can speak proper standard Spanish without a problem, read books in Spanish, talk to Spanish businessmen, receive education in Spanish universities and have software in Basque.
If Microsoft decides to not release the next Windows version also in Cypriot Greek, BIG FUCKING DEAL, we can petition it as a government and furnish them with the translations ourselves. If they still deny it, well we'll just settle for Modern Greek like every other Greek, and we'll be able to understand it just fine because it will be also taught in schools just like Galician and Castillian Spanish is taught in schools simultaneously.
I also worked at a school in Catalonia where the children were taught equally in all English, Catalan and Castillian at the same time from the age of 2 and onwards. NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER, and they were lovely children too.
.... and I could list many more such practical disadvantages. Such thing would have NO benefit, lots of real practical disadvantages and it would push Cyprus further away from the other Greek speaking populations something which only the Turks can gain from.
Unfounded scaremongering bullshit.
We only have to gain from finally defining our own Greek identity, and no Greek will dare call us less Greeks or distance themselves from us. Everything is already there, we just have to put the stamp on it.
Really? So lets start with a single word. Tell me the one official way that we would write and pronounce the word "τσάντα" with "standard Cypriot".
First accept both candidates «τσιάντα», «τσέντα» as regional varieties of the different dialects of the Greek Cypriot language. Then take the one used by the most speakers of Greek Cypriot as the standard. If more Cypriots say «τσιάντα» will standardize it, «τσέντα» will also be accepted. big. deal.
raised the issue that our local dialect might be the REAL Greek.
