Kypriaki Dialectos

[Bullika]

Can a Greek Cypriot member of this forum please list some Cypriot Greek phrases, I m looking for really typical not too rude expressions.

I understand that in Cypriot Greek you use the 'ch and 'sh' like Turkish.

[Dhavlos]

yeh....also we tend to say 'je' instead of 'kai' (meaning 'and').the sound 'j' can sometimes be used instead of 'k'.

Surnames of people are sometimes 'turkified' like hajiantonis, haji...( i may be wrong, but i dont understand why there would be the 'j' sound in a name, unless there is some turkish influence)

In cyprus the word for the little 'saucepan/pot' used to make greek/turkish coffee in is called a 'flitzani', rather than in greece where it is called a 'mbriki'.
(i think i got that the right way round).

Also, cypriots call mainland greeks 'Kalamaraes' -but it is a bit derogitary.

[Bullika]

j as in jam?

[Dhavlos]

yeh

[Bullika]

i think christians use haji too

[Bullika]

how about sentence order? how does it differ from Demotiki?

I want to learn some expressions

[Bullika]

I found an online lexicon of Cypriot Greek words

Greek Cypriot - Hellenic Greek Glossary
http://www.translatum.gr/dictionary/cypriot.htm

H ορθή χρήση της γλώσσας στο γραπτό και προφορικό λόγο
http://www.pr.ucy.ac.cy/articles/2004/september/panagiotou.html

[Dhavlos]

this may help a bit...

http://www.talkcyprus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1143

basically, i think that mainland greek is more 'formal' than cypriot-greek....dont know how to explain it, but other Greek Cypriots will know what i mean.


My mind has gone blank on phrases, so otherpeople will have to tell you...sorry

[city]

[CY]

yeah, i think it is mbriki.. and mbrikoui if its a small one!

[bg_turk]

[Bananiot]

In my village mbriki was called tzisve ... and haji is hadji in greek names and it does come from arabic. Also, we use the word tazetiko to describe something that is fresh.

[Xenos 2Fan]

[Dhavlos]

yeh, i wasnt sure about the mbriki/flitzani thing...i can never rememebr which way round it goes!

A story my yiayia told me was when her and my bappou had their restaurant, one day a Greek-mainland friend came over.
When he had dinner etc... he asked if he could go make a coffee...so he went in to the kitchen, but couldnt find the mbriki/flitzani. He asked my yiayia whether they had one, but used the mainland word. My yiayia didnt understand, and said she didnt have one....so the greek guy was a bit miffed as to how a greek restaurant didnt have a thing to make coffee in. When my bappou got in on the conversation, he realised what he was saying, and they solved the problem!

But do you see the problem that one thing can make if it has two words!

[city]