| Cypriot Arabic | |
|---|---|
| Cypriot Maronite Arabic | |
| Σάννα · Sanna | |
| Native to | Cyprus |
| Region | Kormakitis and urban areas in the south |
| Ethnicity | Maronite Cypriots, Lebanese Cypriots |
| Speakers | No L1 speakers in the south (2011)[1] 9,800 total speakers (2013 UNSD)[2] |
| Greek and Latin Arabic script (historical) | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | acy |
| Glottolog | cypr1248 |
| ELP | Cypriot Spoken Arabic |
| Linguasphere | 12-AAC-ehx |
 Cypriot Arabic | |
Kormakitis
Location of Kormakitis in Cyprus, former stronghold of the language
Cypriot Arabic (Arabic: العربية القبرصية), also known as Cypriot Maronite Arabic or Sanna,[3] is a moribund variety of Arabic spoken by the Maronite community of Cyprus. Formerly speakers were mostly situated in Kormakitis, but following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the majority relocated to the south and dispersed,[4] leading to the decline of the language.[5] Traditionally bilingual in Cypriot Greek, as of some time prior to 2000, all remaining speakers of Cypriot Arabic were over 30 years of age.[6] A 2011 census reported that, of the 3,656 Maronite Cypriots in Republic of Cyprus-controlled areas, none declared Cypriot Arabic as their first language.[1]
- ^ a b Council of Europe (2014), p. 4.
- ^ Cypriot Arabic at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ "Cyprus Maronite Minority Sees Chance to Save Ancient Language".
- ^ Versteegh (2001), p. 212.
- ^ Hadjioannou, Tsiplakou & Kappler (2011), p. 507.
- ^ Cypriot Arabic at Ethnologue (13th ed., 1996).
