Bringing modern Cypriot Greek to diasporic generations.
Ίνταμπου κάμνεις;
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Πώς εν’ ο τζ̆αιρός σήμμερα;
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Εν’ πυρά!
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Το σ̆σ̆υλλούιν εν’ έξω.
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Ίνταμπου κάμνεις; • Πώς εν’ ο τζ̆αιρός σήμμερα; • Εν’ πυρά! • Το σ̆σ̆υλλούιν εν’ έξω. •
Preserving Cypriot Greek
for the next generation
Language is the cornerstone of any culture. But when you’re not speaking your native language daily, you can become a bit rusty.
Many Cypriot Greeks face this problem when trying to pass down the language to their Australian, American or English born children.
To help preserve Cypriot Greek, we’ve gamified the dialect so you can learn all the conversational words and phrases to help you connect with your family, friends & the locals in Cyprus.
One of the world’s oldest languages now has an app.
Basic & Intermediate levels of learning.
Cyprusays® covers subjects & topics that apply to your everyday.
You’ll be able to gossip fluently with your aunts at Christmas and impress your Cypriot football coach with your language skills.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Cyprusays® content is mapped against The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages combined with interactive and engaging learning techniques for digital natives.
Educating the
next generation
We’re looking to get Cyprusays® into the education system to help teachers and students practice Cypriot Greek with confidence in Australia, New Zealand, America & the UK.
We aim to get Cyprusays® into schools in Cyprus too, so the next generation can also learn Cypriot Greek academically on top of the existing Modern Greek curriculum, not just casually at home and in the community.
Excited to join Cyprusays®?
Register for early access & don’t miss a slice of halloumi!
Meet our founding team
Cyprusays® was founded by Effie Athanassiou, an Australian-born Greek-Cypriot with a background in advertising, creative leadership, and a deep connection to her heritage. Motivated by the lack of accessible tools to learn Cypriot Greek, she created Cyprusays® to preserve the dialect through a modern, mobile-first platform. And so she could learn Cypriot Greek herself. She is joined by her husband and business partner, Costas Athanassiou, who brings commercial insight and a shared passion for celebrating and sustaining Greek and Cypriot culture.
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Founder & CEO
As an Australian born Cypriot Greek, Iphigenia, ‘Effie’, had limited access to appropriate learning channels of the Greek language, let alone the Cypriot Greek dialect, whilst growing up.
15 years in to her advertising & production career with countless successful campaigns and sales for worldwide brands including Kia, Samsung et.al., Effie capitalised on her industry skills and expertise to conceptualise and execute her tech startup whilst filling a global language void.
Cyprusays® is a tribute to her late father, her entire Cypriot Greek family (Kacopieros & Pericles), and is a gift to the next generation - to keep the soul of the language alive, no matter where they are in the world.
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Executive Partner
With a deep passion for preserving Greek & Cypriot culture and language, Konstantinos, ‘Costas’, understands the importance of passing on this traditional knowledge to subsequent generations through a digital platform.
Bringing with him a wealth of business know-how and the motivation required to help bring Cyprusays® to the world, Costas has teamed up with Effie on this socially & culturally significant venture.
Meet our academic team
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Spyros Armostis
Professor & Linguist
Spyros Armostis is an Assistant Professor in Linguistics at the Department of English Studies, University of Cyprus. He holds a PhD and an MPhil in Linguistics (Phonetics) from the University of Cambridge and a BA in Classics from the University of Cyprus. His research interests lie mainly in the fields of phonetics, phonology, sociolinguistics, clinical linguistics, grapholinguistics, and language documentation and revitalisation.
Focal points of his work have been the study of Cypriot Greek and Cypriot Arabic, but he has also worked on Standard Modern Greek, Pontic Greek, English, French, and Cypriot Turkish. Finally, he is the Coordinator of the “Cy[Φ]” (pronounced [ˈsaɪ̯ ˈfaɪ̯]) Phonetics Lab, Department of English Studies, University of Cyprus.
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Constantina Fotiou
Teacher Trainer & Linguist
Constantina Fotiou holds a PhD and MA in Sociolinguistics from the University of Essex (UK) and a BA in English language and literature from the University of Cyprus. She is an English language teacher trainer with special training on materials and syllabus development as well as technology-assisted language teaching and learning. She has completed postdoctoral research work on contemporary Cypriot Greek and is also the co-author of a textbook for teaching Cypriot Greek as a foreign language.
Her scholarly output includes peer-reviewed journal articles, edited volumes, and book chapters. Constantina is also active in academic outreach by frequently contributing articles to Cypriot newspapers and publishing blogs on topics related to language teaching and learning.
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Dr. Natalia Pavlou
Lecturer & Linguist
Dr. Natalia Pavlou is a linguist from Cyprus who has worked at the University of Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates University. She earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Chicago in 2018. Her research focuses on morphosyntax with a particular emphasis on Cypriot Greek and Standard Modern Greek. Dr. Pavlou has conducted fieldwork on Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Sanna) and has been involved in research with Greek Cypriot heritage speakers.
Dr. Pavlou approaches language with deep intellectual curiosity, viewing it as a window into the human mind.
