LL-L: "Language policies" [E] LOWLANDS-L, 03.AUG.1999 (06)

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 03.AUG.1999 (06) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Roger Thijs [Roger.Thijs at village.uunet.be]
Subject: lost message

De Standaard (Brussels) is publishing a series about the regional languages
in France. 5 Articles have been published up to now (July 26, 27, 28,30 and
31). From the last article it is clear Belgian and Dutch (semi-)official
organizations no longer support the survival of Flemish in the North.

The map of regional languages only includes:
 Breton
 Occitan
 Basque
 Catalan
 Corse
 Alsatien-Allemand
 Dutch (?)
There is no room for any further variety, even not for language groups that
are (also) regionally occuring in Belgium as:
 Picard (West of Belgian Hainaut)
 Walloon (Most of Southern Belgium, Givet in France)
 Champenois (around Sugny in Belgium)
 Lorrain (in the Gaume, South of the Belgian Luxembourg).
Also the Rhine-Franconian and Moselle-Franconian (incl. Luxemburgian)
area's are barely visible as an enlargement of the Alsatian area.

The bilingual education is discussed. For a total of 12.299.000 pupils in
primary and middle schools, only 19.334 are listed for fully bilingual
programs:
   Public  Private Associative
   Schools Schools Schools

Breton   1609  1197  Diwan: 1748
Basque   2328  1137  Seaska: 1610
Occitan  1600  -  Las Calandretas: 1438
Catalan  492  -  La Bressola: 348
Alsatian-German 4799  32  ABCM/Z: 448
Corsican  528  -  -
Flemish/Dutch  -  -  -

The issue of standardization of the orthography in Breton is discussed.
Major threat is that parents speak French with their kids, and no longer
Breton.
For the Alsace the major issue is that one is trying to teach two
languages: the municipal Alsatian as spoken local language and German as
the written language.

For the Westhoek in the North, the article is focussing on "Dutch", since
this language is accepted since a couple of years as "foreign" language in
official school programs in the North (in competition with English with a
market share of over 85 percent and with other foreign languages). Since
these courses are part of official programs, Belgian and Dutch subsidizing
of local Flemish initiatives stopped and turned into supporting French
speaking students preparing themselves for teaching Dutch (wherever in
France). The few remaining Flemish speaking old people and the few
ethousiatic "Flemish" bards from the Westhoek are "written off". Their
death will pass unnoticed. The Flemish graveyard is sealed off with a
prestigious "Maison du Néerlandais" in Bailleul (Belle).

Regards,
Roger

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