Cyprus-Forum.com

[Byron]

http://www.starkibris.net/index.asp?haberID=23785

It seems that this year Greek is being taught as a foreign language on a trial basis at 6 schools in the north of Cyprus. Apparently, pupils have shown a lot of interest and 307 of them have enrolled to study Greek. The minister of education has announced that Greek lessons will be available at all schools next year.

307 out of the total turkish population is saying a lot !

[Byron]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what ? you say ! It means that neither community is prepared to make steps to integrate !

[zan]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what exactly are you claiming????

[Tim Drayton]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what exactly are you claiming????

... that some Greeks wish to study Turkish at degree level and the bicommunal nature of this island makes it a good place to do so.

[Tim Drayton]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what ? you say ! It means that neither community is prepared to make steps to integrate !

Considering that we started from a base of zero about a decade ago, I would say that these are interesting developments. Great oaks from small acorns grow!

[zan]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what exactly are you claiming????

... that some Greeks wish to study Turkish at degree level and the bicommunal nature of this island makes it a good place to do so.

If they employ Turkish teachers then I suppose it makes sense but they coukd get the same from Greece if not. There are supposed to be less "restrictions" between the two larger countries.

[Tim Drayton]

Who said there was no such thing as Cypriotness? - Dryton

So how comes there is no common language !!!

Sorry Byron, but you have a very defective logic and I wouldn't recommend you to take an IQ test, as you will be very disappointed of the results. Who said to you that there must be a common language, for a country to exist as one unit to which all will feel allegiance to it? Does Switzerland have one common language? It has at least four, as a matter of fact! Don't they all feel Swiss, above all? Yes they do!

Are these OFFICIAL languages....

Yes, Switzerland has four official languages.

Then a bit different to the picture painted of TCs...Not all by he way...Speaking Greek because of convenience. We taught Turkish in our schools and not Greek...Those in mixed villages, like my father, spoke both....Those in the North of Lefkosa and purely TC, like my mum, did not.

I hear what you are saying, but a great many elderly Turkish Cypriots are very fluent in the Greek Cypriot vernacular.

None of them were capable of writing Greek because it was not taught at school, why ? Is Turkish taught as a second language in Cyprus now ? I don't think so .

Turkish is now available as an optional second foreign language at some high schools in the RoC. There has also been an increase in the number of GC adults studying Turkish in evening classes.

What % of the Greek Cypriot population speak Turkish or are studying it?

A tiny %, I would imagine. So what?

Another interesting peice of trivia. Apparently the majority of the students studying at Cyprus University's Turkology Department are from Greece.

So what exactly are you claiming????

... that some Greeks wish to study Turkish at degree level and the bicommunal nature of this island makes it a good place to do so.

If they employ Turkish teachers then I suppose it makes sense but they coukd get the same from Greece if not. There are supposed to be less "restrictions" between the two larger countries.

I know that the well-known Turkish Cypriots Niyazi Kızılyürek and Neşe Yaşın work at this department.