The Affidavit in the Village Dialect
A district office returns a sworn statement because it is written in Cypriot Greek. The applicant wrote, among other things, Ego en imoun esso and efkalamen to charti, and the clerk annotated not standard Greek, resubmit in Greek. The applicant, a farmer, says Greek is an official language and his statement is Greek; he asks for an interpreter or for the office to accept it. The office's guidance says documents must be in Greek or Turkish, but says nothing about dialect. A supervisor must decide whether to reject the statement, accept it with a translation, or ask for a standard-Greek version, and must answer the applicant's equality complaint.
1. Is the clerk right that the statement is not Greek? Distinguish language, dialect and register.
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No. Cypriot Greek is a dialect of Greek, with its own phonology, morphology and vocabulary. It is not a separate language and it is not bad Greek. The clerk is confusing dialect with standard written register.
Official administration normally uses Standard Modern Greek for written texts, but a dialect statement is still Greek. The examples are intelligible in context: en corresponds to den, esso to mesa, and efkalamen to vgalame. The issue is register and clarity, not nationality or language status. Treating dialect as non-Greek would also risk discriminating against less formally educated citizens, which is an equality problem as well as a language problem.
2. What should the office do to comply with its own language rules and with fair-administration principles?
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The office should not simply reject the document. It should accept it for filing, make a standard-Greek transcription or summary, and ask the applicant to confirm accuracy. If necessary, it should provide an interpreter or translation at no cost. The original wording should be preserved, because a sworn statement's exact words may matter later.
The office should also issue internal guidance: dialect is not a ground for refusal; clarity and verification are. Staff should be trained to distinguish a language from a register. This satisfies the language rule, the duty of fair administration and the applicant's dignity. A short written apology for the delay would also be appropriate.
3. How would you advise the applicant to frame his complaint if he believes he is being treated as less educated or less credible?
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Frame the complaint around maladministration and unequal treatment, not around proving that Cypriot Greek is a separate language. He should describe the practical effect: delay, cost, embarrassment and the risk that his evidence is disbelieved because of his speech.
He can ask the Ombudsman or the supervising authority to review the office's practice and to require a written reason for refusal. He should keep the annotated document and any witness statements. The complaint should request a clear rule for dialect documents, an apology, and confirmation that his statement will be assessed on its content. That keeps the focus on fair treatment rather than on a linguistic debate he does not need to win.