Only about 900 people in the world speak Cypriot Maronite Arabic. The offshoot of Syrian Arabic had been passed on orally over the centuries but now is at risk of extinction, according to the Council of Europe’s minority language experts. But the Maronite community in Cyprus is fighting back with help from the Cypriot government and the European Union. (AP video Petros Karadjias, produced by Menelaos Hadjicostis and Theodora Tongas)
Maronite community in Cyprus fights to save its Sanna language as only 900 speakers remain
Only about 900 people in the world speak Cypriot Maronite Arabic. The offshoot of Syrian Arabic had been passed on orally over the centuries but now is at risk of extinction, according to the Council of Europe’s minority language experts. But the Maronite community in Cyprus is fighting back with help from the Cypriot government and the European Union. (AP video Petros Karadjias, produced by Menelaos Hadjicostis and Theodora Tongas)