Bilingual Nursery
Campaigns:Civic Action Now - Cyprus
Proposal code: Pusula / Ππούσουλας-2023-02-291
Exposure to the two main languages on the island (Gr&Tr) from a young age will shape the way children imagine, receive, process and listen to the the sounds, ideas, and imagery of the island.
While English is the lingua franca in multi-communal spaces in Cyprus, learning and engaging with, at any level and to any degree, the two main languages spoken on the island, Greek and Turkish, is crucial for the development of horizontal connections and interactions in Cyprus. This is not only for communication purposes. Exposure to the two main languages on the island from a young age will shape the way that children imagine, receive, process and listen to the the sounds, ideas, and imagery of the island. This, in turn, will be a powerful critical thinking tool they can tap into as they grow up and learn more about Cypriot and global history, politics, and economics. Surely, it is possible to pick up languages later in life. But, those languages with which we become familiarised at a young age become part of our early memories and sense of being. This is something that happened naturally when the two communities lived together. (Children often learned each other's language while playing- Turkish Cypriot children who grew up in mono-lingual villages often learned Greek at secondary school) Even if they do not become fluent in Turkish or Greek, becoming familiar with both languages at a young age will contribute towards sense of belonging across communities.