Ορθογραφικές τάσεις σε μια μη τυποποιημένη ποικιλία: η απόδοση της συνίζησης στην Κυπριακή Ελληνική

Abstract

Cypriot Greek lacks a standardised orthography, something that poses problems for its written representation. One such challenge is the representation of synizesis, i.e. the phonological process whereby an unstressed /i/ in a CiV sequence does not surface as a syllable nucleus, and hence either turns into a consonant, or is deleted. This paper reports the results of a pilot study which investigates the tendencies of native speakers of Cypriot Greek in writing various types of the Ci̯V sequence. The results showed that, in Cypriot Greek, synizesis cannot be represented based solely on phonology (contrary to Standard Greek); depending on the environment, it can be represented either phonetically, or phonologically. The challenge for the writing system is to find the balance between phonetics, phonology, morphology, etymology and native speakers’ preferences.