A maverick Cypriot Euro MP with a reputation for high-profile protests yesterday called for the “simplification” of the Greek written language, including the elimination of some letters from the alphabet, noting that this would facilitate writing on computers and help dyslexics.

A letter sent by Marios Matsakis to Cyprus Education Minister Andreas Dimitriou proposes the creation of a committee of linguists to “modernize or simplify” the Greek language. Matsakis makes some proposals of his own: that the letters “upsilon” and “eta” be dropped from the alphabet as they share the same phonetic value as “iota.”

Simplifying the Greek language in this way “is necessary within the context of a trend toward unifying the languages of the European Union,” according to Matsakis. “Such a change would make Greek script more simple and practical,” he said.