Dionysios Zoumpalidis | National Research University Higher School of Economics (original) (raw)
Papers by Dionysios Zoumpalidis
The present paper examines the linguistic behaviour of the first wave of Pontic Greek immigrants ... more The present paper examines the linguistic behaviour of the first wave of Pontic Greek immigrants to Cyprus based on their internalized language attitudes and dominant language ideologies. Since the time of its settlement in Cyprus in the early/mid 1990s, the predominantly Turkish-speaking community of Pontic Greeks has experienced a rapid linguistic and cultural transformation. This occurred primarily due to the local population's (i.e. Greek-Cypriots') reluctance to recognize the Turkish-speaking Pontic Greeks as belonging to the Greek linguistic and cultural 'world' in light of the former's historical and socio-political tensions with the Turkish-Cypriot minority. More specifically, I will analyse the factors that have contributed to this rapid language shift and show what (non-) linguistic means are employed by the members of the Pontic Greek community to index their ethnic identity and belonging.
This paper investigates the relationship between language and ethnic identity of Pontic Greeks wh... more This paper investigates the relationship between language and ethnic identity of Pontic Greeks who currently reside in Cyprus. More specifically, I examine how ethnic identity is perceived and reflected in language preference by Pontic Greeks. The Pontic Greek community in Cyprus, however, does not seem to be homogeneous in terms of ethnicity and language choice since the majority of Pontic Greeks coming from Georgia and those from Russia show different patterns of linguistic behavior. The geographical distribution of Pontic Greeks, which divides them into two groups on the principle of their respective country of origin, has some effects on their ethnic affiliations that are expressed by the different ethnic labels they self-identify. The obtained results and the relevant analysis suggest that Pontic Greeks from Georgia assimilate more actively into the Greek social and linguistic contexts than those from Russia, who seem to wish to preserve their Russian social, national as well as linguistic ties.
STUF - Language Typology and Universals, 2016
In this study, the ethnic self-perception of Greeks from Russia and Georgia (alternatively known ... more In this study, the ethnic self-perception of Greeks from Russia and Georgia (alternatively known as Pontic Greeks) is examined in the socio-political context of Cyprus. I analyze the concept of mother tongue and the potential (symbolic) role it plays within the multilingual community of Pontic Greeks in Cyprus. The study demonstrates that the majority of Pontic Greeks both from Russia and Georgia ethnically self-identify as 'Greeks' while speaking different languages. Language plays a vital role in ethnic self-identification of some Pontic Greeks while for others the link between language and ethnicity appears to be insignificant. Interestingly, the 'Greekness' of some Pontic Greeks is questioned by the local population, which appears to be sensitive to the languageethnicity link.
The study of the linguistic repertoire of the members of a particular speech community reveals li... more The study of the linguistic repertoire of the members of a particular speech community reveals linguistic properties such as unique and diverse language practices, the nature and the degree of interaction within the social networks, and the common linguistic norms of the group.
Co-edited volumes by Dionysios Zoumpalidis
This special issue of the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford - online presents a se... more This special issue of the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford - online presents a series of papers from the Language, Indexicality and Belonging Conference, which was held at the University of Oxford in April 2016. The discussion presented in this volume will continue during the Language, Mobility and Belonging Conference in March 2017. The editors of this volume, Nancy Hawker, Kinga Kozminska and Leonie Schulte, together with the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford, invite you to engage in a further debate on the role of language in the conceptualization of belonging in the contemporary world this spring! Copyright for all articles, reviews and other authored items in this issue falls under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/).
The present paper examines the linguistic behaviour of the first wave of Pontic Greek immigrants ... more The present paper examines the linguistic behaviour of the first wave of Pontic Greek immigrants to Cyprus based on their internalized language attitudes and dominant language ideologies. Since the time of its settlement in Cyprus in the early/mid 1990s, the predominantly Turkish-speaking community of Pontic Greeks has experienced a rapid linguistic and cultural transformation. This occurred primarily due to the local population's (i.e. Greek-Cypriots') reluctance to recognize the Turkish-speaking Pontic Greeks as belonging to the Greek linguistic and cultural 'world' in light of the former's historical and socio-political tensions with the Turkish-Cypriot minority. More specifically, I will analyse the factors that have contributed to this rapid language shift and show what (non-) linguistic means are employed by the members of the Pontic Greek community to index their ethnic identity and belonging.
This paper investigates the relationship between language and ethnic identity of Pontic Greeks wh... more This paper investigates the relationship between language and ethnic identity of Pontic Greeks who currently reside in Cyprus. More specifically, I examine how ethnic identity is perceived and reflected in language preference by Pontic Greeks. The Pontic Greek community in Cyprus, however, does not seem to be homogeneous in terms of ethnicity and language choice since the majority of Pontic Greeks coming from Georgia and those from Russia show different patterns of linguistic behavior. The geographical distribution of Pontic Greeks, which divides them into two groups on the principle of their respective country of origin, has some effects on their ethnic affiliations that are expressed by the different ethnic labels they self-identify. The obtained results and the relevant analysis suggest that Pontic Greeks from Georgia assimilate more actively into the Greek social and linguistic contexts than those from Russia, who seem to wish to preserve their Russian social, national as well as linguistic ties.
STUF - Language Typology and Universals, 2016
In this study, the ethnic self-perception of Greeks from Russia and Georgia (alternatively known ... more In this study, the ethnic self-perception of Greeks from Russia and Georgia (alternatively known as Pontic Greeks) is examined in the socio-political context of Cyprus. I analyze the concept of mother tongue and the potential (symbolic) role it plays within the multilingual community of Pontic Greeks in Cyprus. The study demonstrates that the majority of Pontic Greeks both from Russia and Georgia ethnically self-identify as 'Greeks' while speaking different languages. Language plays a vital role in ethnic self-identification of some Pontic Greeks while for others the link between language and ethnicity appears to be insignificant. Interestingly, the 'Greekness' of some Pontic Greeks is questioned by the local population, which appears to be sensitive to the languageethnicity link.
The study of the linguistic repertoire of the members of a particular speech community reveals li... more The study of the linguistic repertoire of the members of a particular speech community reveals linguistic properties such as unique and diverse language practices, the nature and the degree of interaction within the social networks, and the common linguistic norms of the group.
This special issue of the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford - online presents a se... more This special issue of the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford - online presents a series of papers from the Language, Indexicality and Belonging Conference, which was held at the University of Oxford in April 2016. The discussion presented in this volume will continue during the Language, Mobility and Belonging Conference in March 2017. The editors of this volume, Nancy Hawker, Kinga Kozminska and Leonie Schulte, together with the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford, invite you to engage in a further debate on the role of language in the conceptualization of belonging in the contemporary world this spring! Copyright for all articles, reviews and other authored items in this issue falls under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/).