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[Nikitas]

Doctor, long before Korais the Greek Orthodox church used a form of "high Greek" quite capable of capturing the most complex definitions.

Pyro states it aptly: "Both the Mainland Greek and our local dialect have their own merits imo and we should be happy to know both. It makes us cleverer." It does, the more linguistic forms a mind can handle the more intelligent it gets.

These sentences are in dialect, a GREEK dialect: Η Ρωμιοσύνη εν φυλή, συνότιζιαιρη του κόσμου,

more earthy stuff: ΄έκρουσεν τον ο καβλήντηρος τζιαι πυρομάσσισεν ο κώλος του

every word is Greek, the entirety is in dialect. It is unwise to use the existence of this GREEK dialect to distinguish and separate yourself from the core of the foundation language.

There are so MANY more reasons to insist on Cypriot independence. Language and any genetic differences are irrelevant.

An independent Cyprus is good for Cypriots, and excellent for Hellenism. It provides a living example of what Greeks can achieve when they are free of the Athens κωλοχανείο. Same goes for our TC friends, though it will take more time for them to comprehend it.

[Sotos]

DrCyprus, you keep repeating NONSENSE. The Greek nation has MANY dialects, which are not separate languages like Spanish and Portuguese. Having a standard form of Greek for our whole nation helps communication and helps to maintain stronger links between the people of our nation. You have not listed even a single practical benefit for the Cypriot people for doing what you suggest while I have listed many practical disadvantages. Furthermore doing what you suggest wouldn't even solve the problem you listed in your first post because then somebody would claim " I never felt that my Paphian Cypriot language was incorrect or villagey, that's what they tried to force on me to accept. A ploy to downplay the rich culture of the Paphian Cypriots". If we follow your logic to its extremes then each little community should be taught its own local dialect, something which is totally impractical and offers no tangible benefits. Such move would only makes sense if we intentionally wanted to separate ourselves from the rest of Greeks, but this is what our enemies want, not what we want.

[DrCyprus]

The Greek nation has MANY dialects, which are not separate languages like Spanish and Portuguese.

I repeat for the fourth time:
The Spanish nation celebrates MANY regional languages, which range from as seperate from each other as Mainland Greek and Cypriot Greek to entirely unrelated. Even so, they all also speak a standard form of Spanish (Castillian Spanish), which helps their whole nation communicate with each other and maintain stronger links between the people of the Spanish nation.

You have not listed even a single practical benefit for the Cypriot people for doing what you suggest

I repeat for the fourth time:
Brand recognition. The strengthening of our Greek heritage by tracing our language through Cypriot history. A Greek Cypriot cultural identity all Cypriots can identify with. A message to the world that Greek culture is not a monotony controlled by Greece. The empowerment of all those who want to salvage, record and preserve our unique Greek Cypriot culture and language.

while I have listed many practical disadvantages.

Which were absolute nonsense and I easily refuted.

Furthermore doing what you suggest wouldn't even solve the problem you listed in your first post because then somebody would claim " I never felt that my Paphian Cypriot language was incorrect or villagey, that's what they tried to force on me to accept. A ploy to downplay the rich culture of the Paphian Cypriots". If we follow your logic to its extremes then each little community should be taught its own local dialect, something which is totally impractical and offers no tangible benefits. Such move would only makes sense if we intentionally wanted to separate ourselves from the rest of Greeks, but this is what our enemies want, not what we want.

I call reductio ad absurdum on this horseshit paragraph.

[DrCyprus]

Doctor, long before Korais the Greek Orthodox church used a form of "high Greek" quite capable of capturing the most complex definitions.

Can you provide me with a few sources on this. I'm interest to read about it.

These sentences are in dialect, a GREEK dialect: Η Ρωμιοσύνη εν φυλή, συνότιζιαιρη του κόσμου,

more earthy stuff: ΄έκρουσεν τον ο καβλήντηρος τζιαι πυρομάσσισεν ο κώλος του

Yes, a Greek dialect of Byzantine Koine Greek, which according to the examples you cited qualifies to take the leap further to language. Cypriot Greek is filled with powerful words that are Greek through and through and it's a real shame that 'in false fear' we choose to put this linguistic power aside and settle for the humdrum standard Greek which at it's core is just a lingua franca for various Greek peoples.

every word is Greek, the entirety is in dialect. It is unwise to use the existence of this GREEK dialect to distinguish and separate yourself from the core of the foundation language.

Noone speaks Greek koine anymore, the foundation of the Greek Cypriot language. Modern Greek is not our foundation language and I laugh in the face of everyone claiming this. Modern Greek is just a lingua franca we use to communicate with other Greeks. Just because Modern standard Greek exists, that doesn't mean we need to call our Greek a dialect.

An independent Cyprus is good for Cypriots, and excellent for Hellenism. It provides a living example of what Greeks can achieve when they are free of the Athens κωλοχανείο. Same goes for our TC friends, though it will take more time for them to comprehend it.

Agreed

[Sotos]

DrCyprus, what is absolute nonsense and horseshit is what you write. "Brand recognition"???? You don't even know what the word "brand" means apparently. "A Greek Cypriot cultural identity all Cypriots can identify with"? So Turkish Cypriots will identify with the "Greek Cypriot cultural identity"? And I already explained that not even all GCs will identify with it, because there are local differences in the dialect even within Cyprus. The majority of us don't have an identity problem, that is YOUR personal problem, not a general problem. And then you keep using the example of Spain ... where Basques and Catalans are trying to secede from Spain and you use that as an example of creating "stronger links between the people of the Spanish nation" You are LAUGHABLE!! What you propose is the recipe for DIVISION of our Greek nation that has ZERO practical benefits for the Cypriot people and only serves our enemies.

[Nikitas]

Modern Greek is portrayed by the learned Dr as a sterile language with a single purpose- to allow communication between disparate dialect speaking communities.

Two literature Noble prizes, Seferis and Elytis, along with a host of celebrated writers, from the Katharevousa loving Papadiamantis to the street slang user Tsiforos prove this thesis totally wrong. Modern Greek is an organic living language and not just the Greek equivalent of BBC English.

I am still looking for those unique Cypriot words, which are neither derivatives nor corruptions of some foreign words, to surface. No, I do not mean those idiotic lists of corrupted versions of Greek or other words posted from time to time. Their absence proves the point.

There is a similar discourse going on in the TC community. Unlike us the TCs used their dialect in the media. I am guessing that happened because the TC dialect is writable, its sounds are represented by the official alphabet. They too talk about preserving their dialect in the face of some cultural onslaught. Like us they forget the obvious:

Dialects and languates are saved by current use. All the officialisation in the world is not going to promote or demote a living language that serves a purpose. The best example of this is the fate of Esperanto. It never became a living language and it is relegated to the status of a linguistic gimmick.

[DrCyprus]

"A Greek Cypriot cultural identity all Cypriots can identify with"? So Turkish Cypriots will identify with the "Greek Cypriot cultural identity"?

Strawman argument

And I already explained that not even all GCs will identify with it, because there are local differences in the dialect even within Cyprus.

A useless Reductio ad absurdum argument I called out earlier.

The majority of us don't have an identity problem, that is YOUR personal problem, not a general problem.

That's just your opinion, but "Even If I am a minority of one, truth is still the truth." Mahatma Ghandi

And then you keep using the example of Spain ... where Basques and Catalans are trying to secede from Spain and you use that as an example of creating "stronger links between the people of the Spanish nation"

I simply referred to the example of the Basques to shoot down your ridiculous stupid claims that teaching the Greek Cypriot language in our schools would somehow stop people from speaking modern Greek properly.

The Basques and the Catalans consider themselves as seperate identities through examining their history and culture. These categories of differences do not exist when speaking about the Greeks of Cyprus and the Greeks of Greece.

You are LAUGHABLE!!

A useless Ad Hominem

What you propose is the recipe for DIVISION of our Greek nation that has ZERO practical benefits for the Cypriot people and only serves our enemies.

What I propose is the strengthening of our Greek heritage by tracing our language through Cypriot history. A Greek Cypriot cultural identity all Cypriots can identify with. A message to the world that Greek culture is not a monotony controlled by Greece. The empowerment of all those who want to salvage, record and preserve our unique Greek Cypriot culture and language.

[DrCyprus]

Modern Greek is portrayed by the learned Dr as a sterile language with a single purpose- to allow communication between disparate dialect speaking communities.

I described the way Greek Cypriots currently use Modern Greek in their daily lives.

Two literature Noble prizes, Seferis and Elytis, along with a host of celebrated writers, from the Katharevousa loving Papadiamantis to the street slang user Tsiforos prove this thesis totally wrong. Modern Greek is an organic living language and not just the Greek equivalent of BBC English.

Irrelevant to this thread.

I am still looking for those unique Cypriot words, which are neither derivatives nor corruptions of some foreign words, to surface.

I never claimed any of the things your fancy text sets out to counter. This paragraph makes me believe that you wily nily copy pasted this crap from somewhere else.

No, I do not mean those idiotic lists of corrupted versions of Greek or other words posted from time to time. Their absence proves the point.

How dare you insult the Greekness of Greek Cypriot by calling it's words corrupted versions of Greek. Cypriot Greek is a Greek language with many true Greek words equal in value to the Greek words used in other Greek languages. The only corruption seems to be in the way you process and perceive the plurality and richness of the Greek culture.

I am guessing that happened because the TC dialect is writable, its sounds are represented by the official alphabet.

The shame of a fact that we still haven't reintroduced the Greek letters and tonic system that we need to write our language the way we speak it is a crime against Cypriot Greek culture everywhere. Letters are manmade, and for us Greeks everything comes premade for us to use. To look down on Cypriot Greek because of this reason is but a mixture of treason, short-sightedness and stupidity. Especially when the form of mainland Greek spoken today as 'Standard Modern Greek came to be recognised as late as 1818 and was only truly officially standardized in 1976.

Dialects and languates are saved by current use.

The Greek Cypriot language is currently in use.

All the officialisation in the world is not going to promote or demote a living language that serves a purpose.

It's a living language. It serves a purpose. Stop trying to drown it out, stop trying to whitewash it with modern Greek and let it attain its true weight and glory.

The best example of this is the fate of Esperanto. It never became a living language and it is relegated to the status of a linguistic gimmick.

Cypriot Greek is an organic living language, and not a regional dialect of Modern Greek. The language of Vasilis Michaelides.



Also, given that you failed to provide evidence or citations, I openly call bullshit on your High Church Greek claim. It's probably Bible Greek which means it's Byzantine Koine Greek which is of course the common ancestor of Standard Modern Greek and the Cypriot Greek language.

[Pyrpolizer]

Answering my own question:
A dialect is a form of a language used and understood by a specific group.
Our Cypriot Greek is a dialect because no one else understands it fully. Similarly nobody understands fully -if at all- other Greek dialects.
However everyone who speaks a Greek dialect understands fully the official language.
DrCyprus claims our dialect is the real Greek and originates from ancient Greek.
If that were so, then we in Cyprus should be able to understand Ancient Greek.
We DON'T!

[Sotos]

Whatever dude. Since you obviously can't even argue with me and you choose to dismiss my valid arguments with terms you don't even understand I will not waste more of my time with you. Feel free to continue to cry alone. Your proposal is rejected.