Social, cultural and linguistic differences between Greece and Cyprus

NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENSSCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY FACULTY OF ENGLISH STUDIES Language and Culture (8th Semester) Professor Sophia Papaefthymiou-Lytra Social, Cultural and Linguistic differences Between Greece and Cyprus ALEXANDER-MICHAEL HADJILYRA (99362) Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus I come from Nicosia, Cyprus, but I am studying in Athens, Greece. Although the two countries share some elements, they are not as similar as many declare them to be. Linguistic differences in the use of Greek When I came to Greece for my studies (autumn 2002), I realised that - for about 6 to 7 months a year - I would have to use standard Greek instead of Cypriot Greek. Summarised below are some of the differences I have found between the two varieties. SAG stands for Standard Athenian Greek and NCG stands for Nicosian Cypriot Greek. In order to be able to communicate in a better way, I was prompted to note the various differences and I adjusted my speech accordingly. Phonetics/Phonology: SAG fails to/does not produce geminate consonants in words that are spelt with a double consonant, such as Ελλάδα/μαλλιά, κομμουνισμός/έμμεσος, Γιάννης/έννοια, αιμορραγώ/ισορροπία, κλασσικός/άσσος, Αττική/κασέττα. As a result, in some cases SAG has changed historical orthography, in order to accommodate the absence of these double consonants (except for some geographical names) a practice which is not always employed in Cyprus (also note αββαείο, δισκέττα, δολλάριο, κόκκαλο, κολλέγιο etc). NCG adds a /n/ sound at the end of a number of words, which is absent in SAG: e.g. την τηλεόρασηn, τηn Λευκωσίαn, το μαύρισμαn, το πάτημαn, το γιαούρτιn, το δόντιn, το μαλλίn, το χαρτίn, το κάδροn, το ξενοδοχείοn, το βουνόn, το μωρόn, τον άγγελοn, τον όμορφοn, τοn Μάρκοn, τον παπάn. NCG produces aspirated plosives, fricatives or palato-alveolars where no orthographic indication is present: e.g. κάμερα and λουκούμι are pronounced with a /kh/ sound, παρτυ and καπέλλο have a /ph/ sound, Βρετανία and τένις are produced with a /th/ sound; σάλι, νησιά, σχοινί, άσχημος, μαχαίρι and χέρι are pronounced with a /ʃ/ sound, γαλάζιος and ζακέττα have with a /ʒ/ sound; αλλαξιά and ξουρίζω are pronounced with a /kʃ/ sound, κλεψιά and αψιού have a /pʃ/ sound, κόκκινος, τσάι and κατσαβίδι are produced with a /ʧ/ sound, while τζαμί, και and ατζαμής are produced with a /ʤ/ sound. (also geminate consonantal sounds in words like θυμούμαι, άνοιξη, βάφω). Voiced stops used in SAG are often replaced by voiceless stops in NCG: SAG βίντεο, ντεπόζιτο, κλαμπ, μπαταρία, γκοφρέτα, καραγκιόζης Vs NCG βίτεο, τεπόζιτο, κλαπ, παταρία, κοφρέτα, καρακιόζης. SAG often produces a /j/ sound and/or shifts the accent on the next syllable, in words like καρδι̮ά, Κυρι̮ακή (Σαββατοκύρι̮ακο), Σκι̮άθος, Παναγι̮ά and δόντια, μάτια. Although NCG preserves this /j/ sound for the second pair (more like /ŋgj/ and /θkj/ sounds, respectively), it does not employ it for the first set of words [καρδία, Κυριακή (Σαββατοκυρίακο), Σκίαθος, Παναγία]. NCG drops certain initial vowels in the Present tense of verbs like [α]γγίζω, [α]γοράζω, [ε]νοικιάζω, [ε]ξοφλώ and [ι]δρώνω. Semantics/Lexical choice: There is a number of lexical discrepancies between SAG and NCG, especially when it comes to everyday things. Different words are used to denote the same thing [NCG μοτόρα (instead of μοτοσυκλέττα) for motorbike; αιτητής/αιτήτρια (instead of SAG αιτών/αιτούσα) for applicant; NCG αφυπηρετώ (instead of συνταξιοδοτούμαι) for to retire, Θαϋλάνδη (instead of SAG Ταϋλάνδη) for Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 2 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus Thailand, NCG φρουταρία (instead of μανάβικο) for a greengrocery, νιαγάρας (instead of SAG καζανάκι) for flusher, NCG φώτα τροχαίας (instead of φανάρια) for traffic lights, πελλός (instead of SAG τρελλός) for crazy, NCG κουτσακωτήρι (instead of μανταλάκι) for peg, μαντηλιά (instead of SAG πετσέτα) for towel, NCG φουντάνα (instead of βρύση) for water tap, χρυσόμηλο (instead of SAG βερύκοκκο) for apricot, NCG κουπέπια (instead of ντολμαδάκια) for stuffed vine leaves, καπύρα (instead of SAG φρυγανιά) for toast and NCG κουφέτες (instead of καραμέλλες) for sugar candies]. Miscommunication arises when the same lexical items are used to denote different things: γόμμα in SAG means eraser, but in NCG it means glue; κόλλα means glue or paper in SAG, but in NCG it is used to refer either to paper or to laundry starch; while ανηψιός/ανηψιά mean nephew/niece in SAG, in NCG they refer to the male/female cousin, respectively; πελεκάνος means a pelican bird in SAG, but it can also mean a carpenter in NCG; ανέλιξη means promotion in NCG, but development in SAG; while βαρετός means boring in SAG, it also means heavy in NCG; SAG συνδετήρας means paper clip, but in NCG it means a stapler and, while απολογούμαι means exclusively to apologise in NCG, in SAG it can also mean to respond. There are some words for which there is no single correspondence between the two varieties: e.g. NCG χαλίτικη γη (uncultivated government land), λίμιτεδ (limited company), τροχιοδρομώ (to set a process in progress) and μισταρκός (hired helper/servant) cannot be expressed in SAG in a single word, in the same way that SAG πλαφόν (credit limit), μαντάρα (shambles, a mess), and παστίτσιο (baked macaroni with béchamel) have no single-word NCG counterpart. There are words that express the same concept yet they are not identical in form, e.g. NCG υδατοπρομήθεια, υπαλλακτικός, καδρώνω, παγοποίηση, κομπόστο, κάμνω, στέλλω, μετροφυλλώ, σοβαρομιλώ Vs SAG υδροδότηση, εναλλακτικός, καδράρω, πάγωμα, κομπόστα, κάνω, στέλνω, φυλλομετρώ, σοβαρολογώ [water supply, alternative, to put in a frame, stewed fruit, freezing (of a procedure), to do/to make, to send, to browse, to speak seriously]. Although both varieties share a great number of lexical items, there are some words that, for one reason or the other, are neglected by one variety, or they are preferred by the other variety. SAG usually prefers κρύβω, λέω, ημιώροφος, χάρακας, σακκούλα, κεραία and βλέπω, while NCG prefers χώνω, λαλώ1, μεσοπάτωμα, ρίγα, σακκούλι2, αντένα and θωρώ (to hide, to say, mezzanine, ruler, bag, antenna, to see). In both varieties, there are some lexical items that come from other European languages, due to the history of the two countries. From the shared words, there is a tendency of SAG to avoid using the Hellenified foreign verbs, while NCG exhibits the reverse tendency: NCG prefers κοντρολάρω instead of συγκρατώ (to control), κουμαντάρω instead of χειρίζομαι (to command) and τσεκάρω instead of ελέγχω (to check). Although both varieties share the noun εργοδότης (employer), the corresponding verb εργοδοτώ (to employ) exists only in NCG. Conversely, although both varieties share the verb σφουγγαρίζω (to scrub), only SAG uses the corresponding noun σφουγγαρίστρα (scrubbing brush). SAG makes extensive use of diminutives for just about everything, regardless of size, mainly to exhibit familiarity, e.g. ο παππούλης (the grandfather), η γιαγιάκα/γιαγιούλα (the grandmother), το κομπιουτεράκι (the calculator), το 1 2 . It must be noted that speakers from Limassol city prefer the standard Greek λέω type over the vernacular λαλώ type. . NCG distinguishes between a regular and a large bag (σακκούλι, σακκούλα), as it does for a small and a large coat (σακκάκι, σάκκος). Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 3 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus μηχανάκι (the motorcycle), η υπογραφούλα (the signature), η τιμούλα (the price), η μπυρίτσα (the beer), το κρασάκι (the wine), ο ακριβούτσικος (the expensive) and, the newest ones, τα ευρώπουλα (the euros) and το υφάκι (the attitude) uses that would sound deviant to Cypriots. On the other hand, NCG has a much more limited use of diminutives; diminutives in NCG are primarily used to amplify politeness (εκρατήσαμεν το τραπεζάκι3 - we booked the table) or to emphasise the minuteness of something, e.g. το γατάκι (the kitten), το βιβλιαράκι (the little book) and το δεφτεράκι (the bank passbook), but only in a limited scope and in ways that might sound odd to Greek speakers. Spelling: There are some words that are spelt differently between the two varieties, e.g. SAG uses Χρήστος, Χρηστάκης and ίντσα, but NCG uses Χρίστος, Χριστάκης and ίντζα. I have also noticed the spellings κασσέτα (SAG) and κασέττα (NCG), as well as old books that refer to Βρεταννία (SAG) and Βρεττανία (NCG). Χατζή- surnames can also be spelt with a Χ" in NCG (Χ"Πέτρου, Χ"Δημητρίου, Χ"Σάββας etc). Grammar (Morphology and Syntax): In NCG, there is a tendency to place the verb in the beginning of the sentence, which is not always the case for SAG. This becomes obvious when a verb is accompanied by pronouns. SAG would always use μου το (έ)δωσες and μου (έ)δωσες, while NCG would always use έδωσες μου το and έδωσες μου. This pattern is used both in the affirmative and in the interrogative types. SAG uses interchangeably contracted and uncontracted forms of verbs ending in -ώ (with a propensity to drop synaeresis), while NCG always uses the contracted forms of these verbs: SAG αγαπάω, κερνάω, μιλάω, φιλάω, χτυπάω Vs NCG αγαπώ, κερνώ, μιλώ, φιλώ, χτυπώ. The implicit presence of synaeresis underlies NCG, leading to forms that hastily appear incorrect to Greek speakers, such as ενοχλάς, ευνοάς, ταλαιπωράς (cf. SAG ενοχλείς, ταλαιπωρείς, ευνοείς) and πονείς, φορείς, χωρείς (cf. SAG πονάς, φοράς, χωράς). -άγω verbs are conjugated differently between the two varieties: NCG να εισάξω, θα παράξω, είχα προάξει Vs SAG να εισαγάγω, θα παραγάγω, είχα προαγάγει. Another difference exists in the Past tense of -στέλλω verbs (SAG αναστάλθηκε, στάλθηκε, αποστάλθηκε Vs NCG στάληκε, αναστάληκε, αποστάληκε). When possible, NCG uses adjectives instead of active participles: περπατητός (instead of SAG περπατώντας), βουρητός (instead of SAG τρέχοντας). The two varieties conjugate some lexical items differently, such as το κόστος, το ταξί and το πάσο. The plural NCG forms are τα κόστα, τα ταξιά and τα πάσα, unacceptable forms for SAG (τα κόστη, τα ταξί, τα πάσο). I have also noticed that SAG exhibits a tendency not to inflect the adjective πορτοκαλής; instances such as η πορτοκαλί επανάσταση would sound odd in NCG. SAG makes extensive use of the Present Perfect tense, while NCG prefers to use the Aorist (Past Simple): SAG usages έχω πάρει, έχω δώσει and έχω αφήσει are most likely to be turned into έπιασα/επήρα, έδωσα/έδωκα and άφησα/ άφηκα in NCG. The Past Perfect tense is very rarely used in NCG, while there is virtually no Future Perfect tense. NCG plural possessive function may be expressed either using the genitive case (το τραγούδι των Φινλανδών), or using the accusative case (το τραγούδι 3 . Greek speakers would not be comfortable with this usage, precisely because το τραπεζάκι is probably not small in size! Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 4 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus τους Φινλανδούς). While NCG equally accepts both cases (when used with a masculine noun/adjective), SAG only uses the genitive case. NCG uses the ε- prefix in a number of verbs, as a sign of temporal augmentation, even if it bears no accent (εχτύπησα, επαίξαμεν, εγέμωσα, εφύσησεν); SAG uses the ε- augmentation only if it bears an accent (έψησα, έγινε, έδωσα but χτύπησα, παίξαμε, γέμισα, φύσηξε). SAG uses the θα particle to introduce both Future tenses and hypothetical constructions. Spoken NCG uses - in free variation - both the θα particle and the vernacular forms, which distinguish between the Future tenses (εννά σου δώσω/δώκω) and the hypothetical constructions (ήταν να του πω). In spoken NCG, there is also free variation between the δεν/εν [(δ)εν σου (ε)μίλησα] and the μην/μεν particles (μεν/μην με αφήσεις). Personal and Geographical names: The majority of personal names4 are common between the two countries, both because of the language and because of the religious convergence. There are, however, some names that are almost never used in NCG (Αγορίτσα, Αδαμάντιος, Γαρυφαλλιά, Γκόλφω5, Ευθαλία6, Παρθένα7, Πελαγία, Σμαράγδα, Σουλτάνα5 and Τριαντάφυλλος) and some names that are not as common in SAG as they are in NCG (Βαρνάβας, Ευαγόρας8, Ζήνωνας, Λάζαρος, Μακάριος, Μηλιά, Νεόφυτος8, Παντελίτσα, Σωζόμενος and Φιλόκυπρος). Pet name forms may be different between NCG and SAG. NCG forms Άντρη, Άντρος, Πάμπος/Χαμπής, Κόκος, Βάκης and Τόμης will sound odd to Greek speakers, who prefer Ανδριάνα, Αντρίκος, Μπάμπης, Γιωργάκης, Παρασκευάς and Χρυσόστομος. Similarly, SAG forms Θάνος/Νάσος, Μάνθος, Μάνος, Βάγγος/Βαγγέλης and Βούλα are not really used by Cypriot speakers, who prefer Θανάσης, Ματθαίος, Μανώλης, Ευάγγελος and Σκεύη. In NCG, there is a tendency9 to give a first name which is cognate to the surname (Ανδρέας Ανδρέου, Γιώργος Γεωργίου, Δαβίδ Δαβίδ, Παύλος Παύλου, Χαράλαμπος Χαραλάμπους), which is not really the case for Greece. In SAG, there is a tendency to write/say the Surname first and the given Name second (Φράγκου Σταματία, Δερμεντζής Σπύρος); the reverse tendency is observed in NCG (Πάρις Αθανασιάδης, Χριστίνα Μενοίκου). In SAG, when a geographical location has two names, these names are almost always two distinct toponyms, which may or may not share the same gender/number [Ίλιον/Νέα Λιόσια (n/N), Καστελλόριζο/Μεγίστη (n/f), Θήρα/ Σαντορίνη (f/f), Άρτεμις/Λούτσα (f/f), Αχαρνές/Μενίδι (F/n)]. In NCG, there is this feature as well [Πάφος/Κτήμα (f/n), Γαϊδουράς/Νέα Σπάρτη (m/f), Ορτά Κιογιού/Μιντζέλι (n/n)], but there is also another surprising possibility: the very same toponym can change gender/number, with a minor morphological change [Ζαχαριά(ς) (f/m), Χλώρακα(ς) (f/m), Λιβερά(ς) (N/m), Βαρώσι/Βαρώσια (n/N), Μάσ(σ)αρι/Μάσαρη (n/N)] or no morphological change at all! [Αναβαργός (n/m), Αυγόρου (f/n), Ξυλοφάγου (f/n), Ψημολόφου (f/n), Ανάγυια (N/f), Ακουρδάλια (N/f)]. Although overseas and Greek rivers are masculine in both varieties, this is not always the case with Cyprus rivers: 9% are neuter and 22% are feminine. . Although the majority of personal names is common, the two countries have some very different surnames. . Τhe names Γκόλφω and Σουλτάνα were originally Vlach names. 6 . The name Ευθαλία was often given to girls from Minor Asia and Constantinople. 7 . The name Παρθένα was often given to girls from Pontus. 8 . The names Ευαγόρας and Νεόφυτος (along with Αφροδίτη) have a strong connection with the town of Paphos, because of historical reasons. The name Ευαγόρας was also common in the city of Famagusta. 9 . This tendency permeating NCG is also present in some ‘extreme’ situations, like Ενταφιανός Ενταφιανού and Ζωμενία Ζωμενή. 5 4 Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 5 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus Linguistic differences in the use of other languages or foreign words The linguistic differences between Greece and Cyprus extend beyond the use of the Greek language, and they include the use of foreign words and the use of English. English is less frequently used in Greece, compared to Cyprus. There are fewer English speakers in Greece, compared to the number of English speakers in Cyprus. I believe that this derives from the fact that Greeks consider their language to be very important and they have the idea that, if they use another language in Greece, this might diminish the importance of Greek. This is perhaps one of the reasons why most PCs in Greece are equipped with a Greek Operating System, while in Cyprus most PCs are equipped with an English Operating System. When a foreigner comes to work in Cyprus, they learn English first (if they do not already know) and - perhaps in the future - they will also learn Greek; when a foreigner arrives in Greece to work, they must learn Greek (and they may never learn English at all). From my experience with foreigners who work in Cyprus, the ones who speak some Greek are - in all probability - the ones who have previously worked in Greece. Almost all road signs and street labels in Cyprus are both in English and in Greek. In Greece, especially in the country, most road signs are written in Greek only, thus preventing foreigners from reading them. Greek speakers seldom mix English words with Greek, unless they are words that are international and technological, like Internet, computer, mouse, scanner, sports (basket, volley, bowling, tennis, handball, golf) and woofer, which they use interchangeably with their Greek counterparts (Διαδίκτυο, υπολογιστής, ποντίκι, σαρωτής, ηχεία etc). On the other hand, Cypriots use a great deal of English words: they frequently use the aforementioned ones, but they also use other words. For example, it is more likely to listen to a Cypriot talk about their μόπαϊλ (mobile), the πρίντερ (printer) and κήπορτ (keyboard) of their computer, the σουίτς (switch) of their car/room and about the fact that they received a call from a πράιβειτ (νάμπερ) (private number) while driving on the χάιγουεϊ (highway), than it is to hear them speak of their κινητό, the εκτυπωτής, and πληκτρολόγιο of their computer, the διακόπτης/κουμπί of their car/room and the fact that someone called them with an απόκρυψη (αριθμού) while driving on the αυτοκινητόδρομος. In the same vein, Cypriots always use γκίαρ μποξ (gear box) to refer to the κιβώτιο ταχυτήτων, τραφικέιτορ (trafficator) to refer to the δείκτης πορείας, and ατάπτορ (adaptor) to refer to a μετασχηματιστής; they never use λεβιέ (French levier) to refer to the μοχλός ταχυτήτων nor do they use τηλεκοντρόλ (French télé control) to refer to the ρημόουτ (κοντρόλ)/τηλεχειριστήριο. Cypriots usually say θένκιου (thank you) instead of ευχαριστώ10, πληζ (please) instead of παρακαλώ10, πάι πάι (bye bye) instead of γεια, and they oftentimes answer the phone with a χαλόου (Hello) instead of Παρακαλώ or Εμπρός. Greeks often prefer Greek and French words over English ones, while Cypriots prefer the English words [SAG φάκελλος/ντοσιέ instead of φάιλ (file), χλόη/γκαζόν instead of NCG γρασίδι (grass), SAG παρμπρίζ instead of ανεμοθώρακας (windshield), ζελέ instead of NCG τζέλλυ (jelly), SAG ζαμπόν 10 . The two words have a slightly different meaning in NCG: thank you is more likely to be used for small, everyday things (like when purchasing something), while ευχαριστώ is usually employed for more important cases (like expressing gratitude for a favour). The same goes for the pair please and παρακαλώ. Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 6 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus instead of χαμ (ham), τροχόσπιτο instead of NCG καραβάνι (caravan), and στυλό(ς) instead of NCG πέννα (pen)]. Note that some of the French words are entirely absent from Cypriot Greek vocabulary [e.g. σεσουάρ (hair drier), γκισέ (counter), φέιγ βολάν (flyer/brochure) and σακ βουαγιάζ (holdall)] and that a number of English words are also absent from standard Greek vocabulary, e.g. κλατς (clutch), σιάττερ (shutter), κάρτο (quarter of an hour) and εξώστ (exhaust). Social and Cultural differences between the two countries Greece and Cyprus do not only differ in terms of language use; they also differ in terms of some social and cultural practices, and in terms of tolerating the “other”. Due to a number of sociohistorical reasons, the Cypriot society has always been multi-cultural and multi-religious . As it derives from the Constitution, there are two ethnic groups (of Greek and Turkish descend, respectively); other than the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus and the Sunni Muslim Turkish Cypriots, three (3) more religious groups are recognised: the Maronites11, the Armenians12 and the Latins13. Our ethnic composition was never mono-cultural: according to the 1960 census14, 77,09% were Greek Cypriots, 18,19% were Turkish Cypriots, 0,79% were Latins (0,49% of Mediterranean extract and 0,30% of British origin), 0,63% were Armenians, 0,47% were Maronites, while 2,83% were British, Protestants, Gypsies or foreigners. Let it be noted that the majority of Greek Cypriots speak English and Greek (the older generations can also speak Turkish), while most elderly Turkish Cypriots can also speak Greek. In Greece, non-Greek and/or non-Orthodox residents have always been considered to be “different” from the dominant Greek Orthodox majority. In fact, the only minority recognised by the Treaty of Lausanne is the religious minority of Thrace. This fabricated homogenisation is part of the reason why ethnic/linguistic minorities [Gypsies (3,3%)15, Arvanites (2%)16, Slavophones (2%)17 Aromanians (2%)18, Turks (0,5%) and Pomaks (0,3%)19] are often isolated and ghettoised from the rest of the population. Religious-wise, although more integrated than Greek Muslims, Greek Catholics, Greek Protestants and Greek Jewish are - in some ways - considered to be “different”. Ever since I came to Greece, I lived through a number of embarrassing and discriminating situations that in Cyprus, they would be considered either ridiculous and improper or simply inflated and blown out of proportion: The long-drawn-out and intense debate about the construction of a mosque in Athens, or the “bold” desire to re-operate the Monastiraki mosque, seems to me to be an entirely trivial matter. Every person should be able to exercise the religion they have chosen, without being . Originating from Lebanon, the Maronites are considered to be an Eastern Catholic Church. Although they acknowledge the Primacy of the Pope, they retain their own organisation (a Patriarch in Lebanon) and some ceremonial differences with the Catholic Church. 12 . Most Armenian Cypriots are Armenian Orthodox and their surnames usually end in -ian (Kalaidjian, Kirimidjian, Kouyoumdjian etc). 13 . The term is used to describe the Cypriot followers of the Roman Catholic doctrine. Unlike some Armenians and some Maronites who use Western Armenian and a local Aramaic dialect, respectively, Cypriot Latins only speak Cypriot Greek. 14 . Because of the unsettled situation during the 1964-1974, the 1960 census is the most reliable population census before 1974. 15 . Gypsies originate from the subcontinent of India; they call themselves Roma, they use their own language (Romani/Romany) and they live in non-permanent shacks. Gypsies are perceivably different because of the dark colour of their skin and their clothes. 16 . Arvanites originate from Albanian settlers. They consider themselves Greeks, they speak both Greek and Arvanitic (a predominantly spoken language with elements from Greek and Tosk Albanian), and they have had a major contribution during the Greek Revolution. 17 . These Orthodox Slavophones mainly reside in the District of Macedonia; they call their language either Bulgarian or Macedonian. 18 . Also known as Vlachs, the Aromanians are considered to be Romanised Dacians and Thracians. They are not regarded as an ethnic minority, rather as a linguistic minority, since they speak Aromanian (Vlach), an Eastern Romance language related to Romanian. 19 . Pomaks are considered to be either Slavified Thracians or Islamised Bulgarians. They are predominantly Turkish-speaking, but they differ from Turkish Greeks in that they are not ethnically Turks, but they are Moslems; they are a minority within a minority. 11 Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 7 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus hindered or presented with any obstacles. In Nicosia, the city where I live, there are numerous mosques, some of which operate regularly on Fridays and other days. The controversy that recently broke out because of Gül Karahasan’s candidacy for the Drama-Cavalla-Xanthe Superprefecture appears to be a very subtle matter. She is a Pomak member of the Moslem minority in Xanthe, but she is a Greek citizen, she has received Greek education and she considers herself Greek. I believe that she is as Greek as her opponent: their only difference is their religion and mother tongue. Thankfully, I recently read an article which argued that, just because her surname is Karahasan and not Karamanli, Karatzapheri or Karaphoti, it does not make her any less Greek. Albanians and homecoming Greek Albanians are being discriminated against. There is an overwhelming prejudice towards them (Αλβανός is currently considered an insult in SAG), and the most well-known example of this superfluous arrogance is the case of Odysseas Tsenai from Nea Mikhaniona, Thessalonica. A few years ago, there was an intense debate about whether he was eligible to hold the Greek flag during the student parade. He was cowardly attacked because he was an Albanian Muslim, and some even posed the fictitious question: “Which country would he choose if there was a war, Albania or Greece?” Fortunately, a more politically correct opinion was expressed by the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, namely that: “It is the flag that honours the one who carries it, not the other way round. Any foreigner who wishes to hold the Greek flag is entitled to do so”. Greeks drive on the right-hand side, while Cypriots drive on the left-hand side. This “opposite” direction of driving was confusing for me at the beginning, especially when it came to crossing the road, waiting for the bus and sitting in a car, even the pavement side I would walk on and the escalator/stair side I would use to ascend. I became accustomed to this difference, and I also studied the interesting reasons why the rule of the road is different: Cyprus got the tradition from Great Britain, while Greece took it from France. Originally, driving began on the left-hand side of the road, because if you were a right-handed gentleman, you would be best protected by thieves and vagabonds if you walked on the left side of the road; when the first carts appeared in England, they drove on the left, and the same happened with the first automobiles in all British colonies; in France, however, the carts and the knights drove on the right, to avoid any ditches on the road. Napoleon and the Pope, attempting to minimise the influence of the British Empire, imposed their own driving manners to other continents, while the Nazi Germans enforced this in Central Europe. Today, 74 countries/territories (1.944 billion people) drive on the left, while 166 countries/territories (3.825 billion people) drive on the right. Another practice that derives from France (for Greece) and Great Britain (for Cyprus) relates to the socket/plug type used in the two countries: although both countries use the same voltage range (220-240 V/50 Hz)20, Greek plugs/sockets usually have two holes (Types C, E, F - rarely D), while in Cyprus there are always three pins, one of which is the earthing pin (Type G). 20 . This voltage range and frequency is common throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, with the exception of Japan, Korea, Libya, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, some Pacific States and some parts of Indonesia, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Monaco, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan; it is also used in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Equatorial Guinea, French Guinea and Greenland. Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 8 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus As a rule, Greeks live in smaller houses compared to Cypriots. This has to do with the standards of living and the available building plots, but it does lead to some misconceptions regarding the “other”: many Greeks who visit Cyprus think that Cypriots are wealthy, while many Cypriots that visit Greece think that Greeks are poor, while it is simply a matter of different standards. There is an organised system of public transportation in Athens [thermal/ natural gas buses (ΕΘΕΛ), electrical trolley buses (ΗΛΠΑΠ), the tram (ΤΡΑΜ), the metro (ΑΜΕΛ), the electrical railway (ΗΣΑΠ), the suburban railway (ΠΡΟΑΣΤΙΑΚΟΣ), the various intercity and regional buses (ΚΤΕΛ) and the various railway lines (ΟΣΕ). In Cyprus, there are only petrol buses for some remote villages and a very rudimentary urban and intercity system of transportation, entirely based on buses. This difference has led to the formation of an entirely disparate lifestyle between the two countries, since Greeks consider the bus (or any other means of mass transportation for that matter) to be a part of their everyday life and, therefore, they may choose not to invest in purchasing an automobile; on the other hand, Cypriots need to balance this lack of organised transportation, hence they buy one or two (or even more) cars. This creates a stereotype similar to the one mentioned above, namely that Greeks think of Cypriots as being wealthy and Cypriots think Greeks as being poor. The Greek youth are much plainer in manners and modest, compared to their Cypriot counterparts, who are arguably more arrogant, pretentious and exhibitionistic, often acting as if they own the place! I believe that this behaviour in Cyprus may reflect the fact that Cypriots consider Cyprus to be the “centre of the world”, thus influencing the opinion their offspring have of society, because they presume that “mum and dad” will mediate and assist them in getting a better place in the army, at work, in society in general. Stores and public services in Greek open relatively late in the morning and they close relatively late in the afternoon. In Cyprus, they open earlier in the morning and they close early in the afternoon. This practice is also extended in newspaper publishing: most daily newspapers in Greece circulate after 9 - 10 am, while in Cyprus they can be found at the newsstands as early as 6 am. I believe that this derives from the fact that Greeks usually sleep at later hours than Cypriots (and the wake up at later hours as well) - a vicious circle. As a result of this, Greeks usually have lunch at around 2-4 pm, while Cypriots prefer to eat lunch around 1-2 pm. Similarly, while μεσημέρι (SAG μεσημεράκι) and απόγευμα (SAG απογευματάκι) range from 12-4 pm and 5-9 pm in Greece, in Cyprus they correspond to 11 am - 3 pm and 4-7 pm, which is why you can hear a Καλησπέρα in Greece as early as 11:30-12:00, while in Cyprus you would not hear this earlier than 19:00-19:30. I have found Greeks to be more God-fearing and religious than Cypriots, especially when it comes to the younger generations. When I am on the bus, passing in front of a Church, many of them make the sign of the cross, something which is not really the case in Cyprus. This, in turn, has given a solid ground to some quaint personalities, like Helene Louka (θεούσα - churchy woman devoted to God), some para-religious groups and sects - some of which we recently saw demonstrating at Syntagma square against the “The Da Vinci code” film-, and the hysterical outcries that the religious creed should remain on identity cards. When I arrived in Athens, I noticed that Greek police officers are armed, the repercussions of which I could only imagine. Cypriot police officers are not armed, except if they belong to the Special Forces. It is not an accident that there is more police brutality and more anti-police sentiment in Greece than Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 9 Social, Cultural and Linguistic Differences between Greece and Cyprus there is in Cyprus. I find the behaviour of the majority of Greek police officers provocative, both because they carry a gun and because they move in packs, in special buses that have an irritating horn. Being armed with a weapon gives you the impression of power, and many consider the gun to be an extension of their penis! People in Greece seem to have a very different lifestyle compared to the people in Cyprus: Greeks go to the numerous cafés from early in the morning; they sit there for hours, while the various beggars are all over the street and (most annoyingly) they come to sell you their goods and services while you eat! I believe that both countries are more or less equally fanaticised regarding sports, but in Cyprus we do not have all these sports newspapers that thrive amongst youngsters in Greece. However, although Cyprus is more polarised21 in terms of political parties, there are more ideological fanatics in Greece, both in the far-right (e.g. Χρυσή Αυγή) and the far-left (e.g. Αναρχικοί). This is the reason why there are so many rallies in the streets of Athens, often blocking access to the vehicles, and this is also the reason why frequent vandalisms take place in Athens. There is also an essential difference between the two countries: far-right and far-left organisations, as well as far-right parties (ΛΑϊκός Ορθόδοξος Συναγερμός, Ελληνικό Μέτωπο etc) and far-left parties (Μέτωπο Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς, Αριστερή Αντικαπιταλιστική Συσπείρωση etc) that proliferate in Greece, would have never gained solid ground in Cyprus, because most Cypriots are in favour of diversity. This obsession with politics is also reflected in Greek newspapers, since most of their pages are about politics. Cyprus is a presidential republic (i.e. the President of the Republic is both the Head of State and the Head of Government), while Greece has a presidential parliamentary republic (i.e. the Head of State is the President, and has a rather ceremonial role, while the Head of Government is the Prime Minister, and plays the central political role). This disparity has led to two entirely different administrative/political models: in the Cypriot model, the three branches of the Government (executive, legislative, judicial) are entirely distinct, while the Greek model calls for some co-operation between the first two. Greeks usually write 15€ (and 200$ or 35£), while Cypriots always write €15, $200 and £35. Because until 31 December 2001 Greeks used the δρ(χ). abbreviation to the right to the amount, they thought they could do the same with the euro sign; however, this is not the case, since standard practice has it that alphabetic abbreviations (Pts, δρχ) are to be placed after the amount, but symbols/signs (¥, €, $) are to be placed before the amount. When I first came to Greece, I was ignorant of most of these differences but, mainly, I was ignorant of the reasons why they were like that. During the first few months of my stay here in Greece, I was overwhelmed with an anti-Greek sentiment, for no apparent reason! One day, however, I sat down and considered that I must live in this country for about half a year for four (4) years and that I should benefit from the experience. So, I took the effort to try to understand the Greek mentality and appreciate the differentness, even when it came to things that were simply annoying (like the lack of organisation in a number of fields). I started reading newspapers daily and I also watched the TV news. I also travelled around Athens and I asked a lot of questions, so I could fill in the cultural gaps I had. I believe that I have managed to culturally and linguistically cope with the Greek reality, based on the lists above. In the end, we are all humans; we just do or say things in a different way! 21 . The “party person” situation was substantially changed after the April 2004 referendum on the Annan plan. Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra (ID: 99362) © May 2006 10