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The interplay of language use and language maintenance and the cultural identity of Greek Cypriots in the UK
Author(s) -
Papapavlou Andreas,
Pavlou Pavlos
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of applied linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.712
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1473-4192
pISSN - 0802-6106
DOI - 10.1111/1473-4192.00006
Subject(s) - homeland , ethnic group , diaspora , identity (music) , modern greek , cultural identity , sociology , linguistics , gender studies , psychology , anthropology , political science , social science , aesthetics , art , law , negotiation , philosophy , politics
The Greek Cypriot community living in the UK is one of the largest and most tightly‐knit communities in the Greek diaspora. The present study attempts to investigate several linguistic and sociolinguistic issues concerning this community. Questionnaires were completed by 274 Cypriot students between the ages of 12 and 18 attending Greek classes in the Greater London area, eliciting information about their family and ethnic background, language abilities, domains of use for each language, reasons for studying Greek, ethnic identity, perceived differences from Cypriots living in Cyprus, and reasons for wanting to return to the homeland. It is hoped that the results will lead to a better understanding not only of the UK Cypriot community but also of such important linguistic issues as language maintenance, language attitudes, and the role of language in the formation of cultural identity.