Insights into Cypriot-Greek attitudes toward multilingualism and multiculturalism in Cyprus

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore language attitudes toward multilingualism and multiculturalism in the Cypriot-Greek context by investigating different domains of society. The sociolinguistic situation in Cyprus is of particular interest since the island is a dynamic bidialectal and multilingual country attracting individuals from both the EU and other foreign populations especially over the last decades with the massive increase in immigration. This leads Cypriot- Greek users to forming particular attitudes toward the languages present in the Cypriot-Greek context. To examine these attitudes, data was collected through a questionnaire administered upon a sample of native Cypriot-Greek users living in the district of Larnaca; this was analysed quantitatively. Drawing on the results, Cypriot-Greek users seem to acknowledge the importance of learning additional languages especially for the domains of education, workplace and media.