The 1960 constitution of the Republic of cyprus establishes Greek and Turkish as official languages. Due to the geographic separation of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities following the events of 1974, Greek now predominates in the South and Turkish in the North.

British English is widely understood on both sides of the island, especially among the younger generations. The large number of foreigners living in cyprus has contributed to the maintenance of English as a semi-official language. In the Greek-speaking south most forms and services, both public and private, are available in both English and Greek (bank contracts, phone bills, tax returns etc). English documents from abroad, such as university degrees, birth certificates and the like, do not need to be translated into Greek to be used officially. English is also used as the primary means of communication between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, especially among younger generations who were never exposed to each other’s native language. Political contacts between the two communities are carried out exclusively in English. Prior to the de facto partition of the island in 1974, Greek was widely understood among Turkish Cypriots living in mixed communities. To this day, 19% of the residents of Northern cyprus report being able to speak Greek. It should be noted, however, that even prior to 1974, Turkish Cypriots attended separate, monolingual Turkish-language schools and thus never achieved mastery of the written Greek language.

For everyday informal (oral) communication, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots use local dialects of their respective languages which are significantly different from the “standard” versions. Native speakers from the Greek and Turkish mainland report difficulty in understanding their linguistic kin on the island. Almost everybody on the island, though, can effortlessly communicate in standard Greek/Turkish, albeit with an instantly recognisable, heavy accent.

In addition there is a very small Maronite community forming an integral part of the people of cyprus but, at the same time, continuing to exist as a separate community. The Maronites who now live in cyprus consider themselves of Lebanese origin and they are Christian Catholics. They have a Maronite Archbishop who is elected by the Holy Synod of the Maronite Church in Lebanon and confirmed by His Holiness the Pope. Although the Maronites are educated in Greek schools and speak fluent Greek, they have their own Arabic language, they practice their own Catholic Maronite religion, they use the Aramaic language in their liturgy and they have their own culture and customs.

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