Affordances and borderscapes: language ideologies, nationalisms, generations and geographies of resistance in Cyprus
Article
Karayianni, C. and Christou, A. 2024. Affordances and borderscapes: language ideologies, nationalisms, generations and geographies of resistance in Cyprus. Languages. 9 (9). https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9060224
Type | Article |
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Title | Affordances and borderscapes: language ideologies, nationalisms, generations and geographies of resistance in Cyprus |
Authors | Karayianni, C. and Christou, A. |
Abstract | In this article, we explore the ways language has been used in Cyprus during different historical periods as a means of a dividing power, with the use of Cypriot dialects as a form of resistance and reunification of the island. We situate these translanguaging themes within a context of affective biopolitics that impacts Cypriot generations in shaping their everyday life through borderscapes and nationalisms. More specifically, we first examine how the official languages of the island (Greek and Turkish) have been used in the dominant public sphere(s) of Cyprus to marginalise Cypriot dialects, which, in turn, have been used as an oral means of communication, but also to impose symbolic signifiers of the biopolitics of borders and nationalisms in dividing communities. Secondly, we explore ways in which Cypriot dialects have been used as forms of linguistic resistance to nationalism, offering an alternative collective identity for generations of both communities, even during periods when nationalism was dominant in both communities. The translanguaging exploration centres on a close discourse analysis of one particular radio programme—the ‘Cypriot radio sketch’—that has been very popular among Cypriots since the appearance of radio in Cyprus in 1953. Finally, we analytically and discursively contextualise attempts of revival of the Cypriot dialects by younger generations as communicative forms of resistance to powers of partition, as well as translanguaging pathways to actualise their desire for the reunification of the island. We eclectically draw on a multi-method approach to combine datasets from interviews, media and social media while combining critical discourse analysis to theorise the affordances, borderscapes and affective biopolitics of generational language use within geographies of nationalism and resistance in the borderscapes of a divided Cyprus. |
Keywords | Cyprus; language ideologies; translanguaging; nationalism; resistance; affective biopolitics; borderscapes |
Sustainable Development Goals | 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions |
Middlesex University Theme | Sustainability |
Research Group | Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) |
Publisher | MDPI AG |
Journal | Languages |
ISSN | |
Electronic | 2226-471X |
Publication dates | |
Online | 19 Jun 2024 |
Jun 2024 | |
Publication process dates | |
Submitted | 15 Jan 2024 |
Accepted | 31 May 2024 |
Deposited | 30 Sep 2024 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Copyright Statement | © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Additional information | This article belongs to the Special Issue Translanguaging and Intercultural Communication |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9060224 |
Web of Science identifier | WOS:001255906900001 |
Related Output | |
Is part of | https://www.mdpi.com/journal/languages/special_issues/multilingualism_translation |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/15v93v
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