ABSTRACT
Current policy trends in the U.S. claim that monolingualism is the norm, and view non-standard dialects as a threat to academic success. This chapter presents an example from the diglossic Greek Cypriot community, which suggests that U.S. policies may be misguided. The investigation of interactions in a sixth grade Greek Cypriot classroom revealed discursive patterns which indicated that both the teachers and the students competently code-switched between Standard Greek and their native Greek Cypriot dialect. Also, the findings suggest that the students were aware of their code-switching practices and felt competent in both dialects but carried some native stereotypes regarding their home dialect:
Every day in class I always speak in Standard Greek, but only when I want to say something about the lesson, express an idea or give an answer. When I talk to my teacher to ask something, and when my classmates and I discuss subjects besides class, I speak in the Cypriot Dialect. I think I do the same when we work in groups. . . . I do not really [consciously] think when I have to speak Cypriot or Standard Greek. It just happens to me on its own.
