The socio-linguistic profile of the Latin community questions the perception that multilingualism is a product of the modern lifestyle, as stated by Marilena Karyolaimou, Professor of Linguistics at the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies of the University of Cyprus, noting that, on the contrary, it highlighted mobility as the main factor that cultivates linguistic diversity over time.
According to an announcement by the university, Ms. Karyolaimou was recently speaking during the third lecture of the Zenonian Free University of PK, on the topic "Linguistic practices in the Latin community from the KARMELA Oral Tradition Archive".
In her presentation, the Professor of Linguistics noted the need to create a systematic body of data to record the language practices of the Latin community of Cyprus, as no relevant sociolinguistic research has been conducted to date.
Analyzing the archive data, it highlighted the collective multilingualism that characterizes the members of the Latino community as 50% of the participants stated in a survey that they know and use four or more languages, it is reported.
As Mrs. Karyolaimou pointed out, "this multilingualism, although historically linked to the Latin community, has not been documented with empirical evidence until now, while individual language repertoires vary according to origin, education, immigration experiences, professional and personal choices, but also the dynamic social mobility that characterizes the community throughout time".
He added that "the findings of the research show common trends, such as the increasing presence of Greek as a mother tongue, the prevalence of English as a second language, and the preservation of French and Italian, which are linked to the migrations coming from France and especially Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries".
These movements, according to her, were often carried out through Middle Eastern trade centers, such as Beirut, Port Said and Alexandria, while Izmir and Malta are mentioned for earlier migrations.
"Ms. Karyolaimou emphasized that the sociolinguistic profile of the Latin community challenges the perception that multilingualism is a product of the modern lifestyle. On the contrary, it highlighted mobility as the main factor that cultivates linguistic hyperdiversity over time", it is pointed out.
Language repertoires, he noted, develop and change dynamically throughout a person's life, under the influence of social, educational and family factors.
In closing, the speaker mentioned that, while in the migrations of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the economic and professional motivation dominated, in the newer migrations – from the second half of the 20th century onwards – the family is the main reason for settling in Cyprus.
It is noted that the KARMELA file is part of a wider initiative supported and financed by the Cypriot state, through the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, as well as the Center for Scientific Research, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus.
"The goal of the initiative is to enhance the visibility of the island's historical minorities, to document their historical presence and to highlight their contribution to the formation of modern Cypriot society," it states.
According to the announcement, this effort is aligned both with the policy of the European Union and the Council of Europe for the documentation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage, as well as with the declarations of the United Nations on the preservation of cultural diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
