Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sega]

Both my parents are Greek-Cypriot, however because I grew outside Cyprus, my Greek is not what you would call perfect. I can verbally communicate but I cannot write or read to a good standard and sometimes when people speak posh-greek (Cypriots trying to speek like native Greeks) I get completely baffled.

Is there any official educational establishments in Cyprus that teach Greek to an intermediate to advanced level.

I looked in the yellow pages but everything is for English, even the colleges teach English. As you can see this is not exactly much use to me, since I know English fairly well.

[Niki]

I am learning Greek at the David Green Institute. They are called 'English Language Institute' but teach Greek at all levels. This tends to be taught in English. This is formal Greek rather than Cypriot Greek.

www.cypruseducation.com/David_Green_Eng ... _Institute

[Sega]

Thanks for yourhelp, I am going to look into it, I was hoping to find somewhere in the Ayia Napa or Larnaca district. I am going to ring around and see what I can find. In England the government kind of pays for you to learn the language, I don't suppose it works like that here.

[T_C]

Interesting. Is mainlander Greek really "posh"? And GC Greek very rough and slang like?

[Sega]

Well proper Cypriots speak rough, the original one. The ones who are kidding themselves . I speak that way. I don't mind mainlander Greeks speaking formal Greek, however when Cypriots do it it somewhat gives a wrong feeling to it. Plus they don't speak it fluently, they mix rough Cypriot-Greek with posh Greek, and thats where I kind of start stuttering. However I have no problem speaking with mainlander Greeks. Just out of curiousity is it the same for TC and Turks from mainland Turkey?

[T_C]

YES! Exactly the same.

[Sega]

I thought they did, my mum told me Turkish Cypriots use many words we Greek Cypriots use like kilinjiros, which means gypsy and tsaera, which means chair. I am sure there is other words but I don't know them. Can you list some rural Turkish Cypriot words alongside with the English equivalent to see if there is any similarities.

[Acorn]

Can you imagine what it is like for me.
I have a cockney accent learning Greek from a mainland Greek audio course and trying to speak to Greek Cypriots on my many visits to Cyprus. Always good for a laugh and I am only too aware of the accent difference, probably a bit like a posh London accent and an rough Irish accent. My friends in Niccosia have now told me to learn the written language as they think it is the only real way to learn, what do you think?