Intralingual translation as a prestige-endowing activity for the Cypriot Greek dialect

Abstract

This chapter explores Roman Jakobson’s 1959 categorization of translation types, focusing on the understudied area of intralingual translation. The chapter discusses the role of translation in constructing nations and national identities, particularly through the translation of canonical texts. It then delves into the challenges faced by categorizations of intralingual translation, such as diachronic intralingual translation for modernizing older texts and dialectal intralingual translation that crosses dialectal varieties within the same language. The case of Cypriot Greek (CG), a dialectal Greek variety in diglossic relationship to Standard Modern Greek, illustrates how intralingual translation has contributed to the visibility and legitimacy of the dialect. Cultural products in various genres and media, from sitcoms to theatrical productions, have contributed to the visibility and acceptance of CG. Two case studies of translations into CG and Cypriot Turkish (CT) are explored in more detail, namely the translations of The Little Prince and the staging of Waiting for Godot in both CG and CT. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the significance of intralingual translation and the complexity of its subcategorizations, calling for further investigation in this area.