LL-L: "Language politics" LOWLANDS-L, 06.APR.2001 (04) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 06.APR.2001 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Language policies

Dear Lowlanders,

As we are told in the piece Frans Vermeulen kindly passed on, the Netherlands
embassy staff in partly Dutch-speaking Belgium considers the use of Dutch in
Belgium "an internal Belgian or Flemish problem" and prefer to use English,
French or German in communicating with Belgians.  If this is something to be
emulated, I wonder if the staff of, say, the Austrian embassy in Germany or of
the Moldavian embassy in Romania will soon prefer to use English or French
over German and Romanian respectively in communicating with the locals.  After
all, the Netherlands have earned a reputation of being a tend-setting nation.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

----------

From: Frank Verhoft [frank.verhoft at pandora.be]
Subject: Language politics

Beste Laaglanders, geachte mijnheer Vermeulen,

Dat men in een mail liefst geen twee verschillende onderwerpen behandelt, is
me ondertussen duidelijk geworden. Ik hoop dat het mij echter niet kwalijk
wordt genomen om met 1 brief lekker lui twee te reageren op twee lopende
kwesties.
Primo, op de vraag hoe men zich wil profileren als spreker van deze of gene
(laaglandse) taal, en secundo op de laatse brief van Dhr. Vermeulen (dd.
5-4-2001), beide met bovenstaande hoofding.

***
't Jonge 't jonge... "zelfverloochening", "zelfverachting", "complex",
"minderwaardigheidscomplex" en aanverwante vaktermen die, dacht ik, vooral in
kabinetten van psychiaters worden aangehaald... Lang geleden dat ik nog zulke
woorden heb mogen lezen in verband met het al dan niet gebruiken van de
Nederlandse taal. Maar ik vermoed dan ook dat niet iedereen de kringen
frequenteert waar deze woorden blijkbaar tot het dagelijkse vocabularium
behoren. Ik vraag me evenwel af wie er hier dringend op de sofa moet.

Nationaal is de taalstrijd toch zowat gestreden - godszijdank - maar wordt het
nu geen hoog tijd om de brokstukken ofwel te lijmen ofwel op te ruimen en ,
akkerdju, verder te denken dan onze huiskamer groot is? Het "lelijke eendje"
dat het Vlaams/Nederlands was, althans in de ogen van zovelen, is een mooie
zwaan geworden, even sierlijk en waardig als de andere zwanen. Kunnen we dan
echt niet die o zo benepen Calimero-attitude laten varen?
Blijkbaar is de zgn. Vlaamse underdog echt niet meer dan een keffende
knoeselbijter, vooral wanneer-ie zich nog maar eens bedient van platitudes als
*spaarzame Nederlander* (geen citaat, maar een parafrase). U bedoelde toch
niet "gierige", mijnheer Vermeulen, een epitethon dat zo rijkelijk de
"'Ollandermoppen" kruidt, en waar in bepaalde kringen nog altijd - tot
treurens toe - smakelijk om gelachen kan worden.

Vooral het "ons" stoort mij (u en ik?), en "DE Vlamingen" - alsof we allemaal
met een vendel staan te zwaaien (gewoon maar even om aan te tonen hoe storend
zulke infantiele cliches zijn) - , evenveel als "DE Fransen" en "DE
Spanjaarden" (telkens mijn nadruk) en andere al te generaliserende en dus
holle, lege termen die mij gebaseerd lijken op uiterst subjectieve indrukken
en die ons geen stap dichter brengen naar... Ja, naar waar eigenlijk?
Trouwens, ik pik er nu net die twee uit wiens nationale taalpolitiek toch niet
echt gereputeerd is omwille van een soepel houding ten opzichte van locale
varianten/talen, laat staan van hun taalgebruik in internationale
aangelegenheden, maar dat had u vast ook wel begrepen.

Dhr Vermeulen schreef:
"Het verbaast ons telkens te zien hoe groot de zelfverloochening (op de rand
na van zelfverachting?) is van de "Nederlanders" wat hun eigenste moedertaal
betreft; de Vlamingen lijden blijkbaar heel wat minder, en heden ten dage
eigenlijk in niets meer, onder dit minderwaardigheidscomplex. Of is het een
ander complex? Ingegeven door spaarzaamheid of door efficiëntie? Maar dan
staan de Nederlanders op dit vlak toch maar heel alleen op de wereld!
Tegenover deze, al dan niet vermeende, efficiëntie staat ontegensprekelijk
de drang naar profilering, naar herkenbaarheid in de wereldwijdse economie!
En wat is herkenbaarder dan de taal? Dit wordt ook dagelijks bevestigd door
de reusachtige inspanningen die middelgrote en kleine landstalen zich
getroosten onder het moto van taalverscheidenheid uit zelfrespect en
zelfbehoud en als culturele motor van hun economie ook met betrekking tot de
wereldeconomie."

Als hier geen belgenmop in zit?

"Tegenover deze, al dan niet vermeende, efficiëntie staat ontegensprekelijk de
drang naar profilering, naar herkenbaarheid in de wereldwijdse economie!",
schrijft Dhr. Vermeulen. Gerejezus, moesten Lernout en Hauspie zich bediend
hebben van de taal van streekgenoot Gezelle (met alle respect voor 's mans
taalvirtuositeit, minder voor zijn poëzie zelve), verder dan de Westhoek
zouden ze niet geraakt zijn, om maar één voorbeeldje te noemen. Over
"Flanders' Technology" hebben we het al eens gehad, meen ik mij te herinneren.
Trouwens je moet het maar even doen, om een biertje wereldwijd te verkopen
onder de oorspronkelijke Nederlandse en derhalve schier onuitspreekbare naam
voor, tenminste voor bijvoorbeeld Engelstaligen die het geheid over
"hainekeun" hebben. Maar dit terzijde en zeker niet terzake.

Als ik Wils mag geloven in zijn recentste publicatie (en elk boek over de
Vlaamse Beweging trouwens) waren de eerste protagonisten van de Vlaamse
Beweging taal- en letterkundigen. Blijkbaar voelt nu iedereen die ook maar een
mondeke Vloms spreekt zich geroepen om zich te, euh, profileren als
taalpoliticus, wat blijkbaar evenwel niet altijd het achterhaald, bombastisch
en aan een specifieke Vlaamse romantiek refererend emotioneel gedaas, ik
bedoel eigenlijk retoriek overstijgt. Doet me denken aan Multatuli's
uitspraak, iets als "Nadat een goede ruiter van zijn paard viel, noemde
iedereen die van zijn paard viel zich een goede ruiter". Ja ja meneer, 't zijn
barre tijden, en niet alleen voor onze veestapels, zo blijkt.

Toch ben ik blij, mijnheer Vermeulen, om u en de andere Laaglanders deze brief
in het Nederlands te kunnen aanbieden. Blij als een kind dat zich kan
ongelimiteerd kan wentelen in zijn favoriete zwembadje, zelfs ook als er
iemand anders in geplast heeft. Maar niet trots, dat is iets voor pauwen en
kemphanen. Blij ook dat mijn grammaticale kennis van het Nederlands een goede
uitvalsbasis was om andere zwembaadjes/talen te gaan verkennen/leren spreken.
Aan het leren van mijn moerstaal heb ik echter geen verdienste, dat ik er in
slaag om mij uit te drukken in een handsvol andere talen, daar ben ik wel
trots op. Een beetje maar (blijkbaar zit er toch ook een haantje in mij, geen
zonevreemd leeuwtje, evenwel).

Met, zoals steeds en ondanks de toon van deze mail, de meeste hoogachting,

Frank Verhoft

----------

From: Henry Pijffers [henry.pijffers at saxnot.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Language politics" LOWLANDS-L, 05.APR.2001 (05) [D]

Frans Vermeulen schreev:
>
>Wat is het nut van deze vorm van zelfverloocheling? En wie schaart zich daar
>achter, buiten deze diplomatieke mensen dan? Is dit een voorsmaak van
>eigenheidsverlies onder druk van kwalijke Europese lobbying? Vragen genoeg
>voor taalmindende Lowlanders!
>
Dezelfde verloochening als die soms plaats vind bij Nedersaksen zou ik
zeggen...
Denken dat je met een andere taal meer kunt bereiken, terwijl die van jezelf
net zo
op zijn plaats is! Zeker in het geval van de NEDERLANDSE ambassade in half
NEDERLANDS sprekend België... Idioten... Wie gaat zich nou beperken tot alleen
maar Engels, Duits en Frans, terwijl je zelf Nederlands spreekt in een land
waar
de meerderheid Nederlands spreekt??? Dat is toch vrij achterlijk zou ik
zeggen...

groeten,
Henry Pijffers

-----------

From: Henry Pijffers [henry.pijffers at saxnot.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Language politics" LOWLANDS-L, 05.APR.2001 (05) [D]

Frans Vermeulen schreev:
>
>Het bedoelde handvest van de rechten van de mens, in het bijzonder dan de
>artikels die te zien hebben met discriminatie op basis van taal, lijkt me
>ontzettend belangrijk. Zou een exacte aanhaling van deze artikels mogelijk
>zijn in het kader van deze taallist?
>
>Dank bij voorbaat voor de moeite,
>
Frans asked about the articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
which concern language and discrimination on the basis of it. I stupidly
enough just lost my entire bookmarks collection, so I had go out and search
for it. I haven't found the UHDR itself yet, but what I did find was very
interesting
though. There are declarations about minorities in general, and about
linguistic minorities in particular. Below I have copied the Declaration on
the
Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic
Minorities.

The "live" version can be found here:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/d_minori.htm

regards,
Henry Pijffers

PS more will follow...

***

Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic,
Religious or Linguistic Minorities
Adopted by General Assembly resolution 47/135 of 18 December 1992

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming that one of the basic aims of the United Nations, as proclaimed in
the Charter, is to promote and encourage respect for human rights and for
fundamental freedoms for all,
without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,

Reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and
small,

Desiring to promote the realization of the principles contained in the
Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on
Religion or Belief, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as
other relevant international instruments that have been adopted at the
universal or regional level and those concluded between individual States
Members of the United Nations,

Inspired by the provisions of article 27 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights concerning the rights of persons belonging to
ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities,

Considering that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons
belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live,

Emphasizing that the constant promotion and realization of the rights of
persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
as an integral part of the development of society as a whole and within a
democratic framework based on the rule of law, would contribute to the
strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and States,

Considering that the United Nations has an important role to play regarding
the protection of minorities,

Bearing in mind the work done so far within the United Nations system, in
particular by the Commission on Human Rights, the Subcommission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the bodies established
pursuant to the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant
international human rights instruments in promoting and protecting the rights
of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic
minorities,

Taking into account the important work which is done by intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations in protecting minorities and in promoting and
protecting the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities,

Recognizing the need to ensure even more effective implementation of
international human rights instruments with regard to the rights of persons
belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,

Proclaims this Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or
Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities:

Article 1

1. States shall protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural,
religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective
territories and shall encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.

2. States shall adopt appropriate legislative and other measures to achieve
those ends.

Article 2

1. Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic
minorities (hereinafter referred to as persons belonging to minorities) have
the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own
religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and
without interference or any form of discrimination.

2. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively
in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life.

3. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively
in decisions on the national and, where appropriate, regional level
 concerning the minority to which they belong or the regions in which they
live, in a manner not incompatible with national legislation.

4. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain
their own associations.

5. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain,
without any discrimination, free and peaceful contacts with other members of
their group and with persons belonging to other minorities, as well as
contacts across frontiers with citizens of other States to whom they are
related by national or ethnic, religious or linguistic ties.

Article 3

1. Persons belonging to minorities may exercise their rights, including those
set forth in the present Declaration, individually as well as in community
with other members of their group, without any discrimination.

2. No disadvantage shall result for any person belonging to a minority as the
consequence of the exercise or non-exercise of the rights set forth in the
present Declaration.

Article 4

1. States shall take measures where required to ensure that persons belonging
to minorities may exercise fully and effectively all their human rights and
fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before
the law.

2. States shall take measures to create favourable conditions to enable
persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to
develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs, except
where specific practices are in violation of national law and contrary to
international standards.

3. States should take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons
belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother
tongue or to have instruction in their mother tongue.

4. States should, where appropriate, take measures in the field of education,
in order to encourage knowledge of the history, traditions, language and
culture of t
he minorities existing within their territory. Persons belonging to minorities
should have adequate opportunities to gain knowledge of the society as a
whole.

5. States should consider appropriate measures so that persons belonging to
minorities may participate fully in the economic progress and development in
their country.

Article 5

1. National policies and programmes shall be planned and implemented with due
regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to minorities.

2. Programmes of cooperation and assistance among States should be planned and
implemented with due regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging
to minorities.

Article 6

States should cooperate on questions relating to persons belonging to
minorities, inter alia, exchanging information and experiences, in order to
promote mutual understanding and confidence.

Article 7

States should cooperate in order to promote respect for the rights set forth
in the present Declaration.

Article 8

1. Nothing in the present Declaration shall prevent the fulfilment of
international obligations of States in relation to persons belonging to
minorities. In particular, States shall fulfil in good faith the obligations
and commitments they have assumed under international treaties and agreements
to which they are parties.

2. The exercise of the rights set forth in the present Declaration shall not
prejudice the enjoyment by all persons of universally recognized human rights
and fundamental freedoms.

3. Measures taken by States to ensure the effective enjoyment of the rights
set forth in the present Declaration shall not prima facie be considered
contrary to the principle of equality contained in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.

4. Nothing in the present Declaration may be construed as permitting any
activity contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations,
including sovereign equality, territorial int
egrity and political independence of States.

Article 9

The specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system
shall contribute to the full realization of the rights and principles set
forth in the present Declaration, within their respective fields of
competence.

----------

From: Henry Pijffers [henry.pijffers at saxnot.com]
Subject: Language politics

Dear Lowlanders,

More about linguistic rights.

I found the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights here:
http://www.egt.ie/udhr/udlr.html
It's available in four languages (Catalan, English, Spanish and French). I
won't copy the
whole thing inhere, because it's too large for that. However, I have copied a
few exerpts,
accompanied by a few comments of my own (marked by square brackets).

regards,
Henry Pijffers

***

Article 2

1. This Declaration considers that, whenever various language communities and
groups share the same territory, the rights formulated in this Declaration
must be exercised on a basis of mutual respect and in such a way that
democracy may be guaranteed to the greatest possible extent.

[Already here is where things go wrong... There isn't much of respect for
Low-Saxon.]

2. In order to establish the appropriate articulation between the respective
rights of such language communities and groups and the persons belonging to
them, the quest for a satisfactory sociolinguistic balance must take into
account various factors, in addition to their respective historical
antecedents in the territory and their democratically expressed will. Among
such factors, which may call for compensatory treatment aimed at restoring a
balance, are the following: the coercive nature of the migrations which have
led to the coexistence of the different communities and groups, and their
degree of political, socioeco
nomic and cultural vulnerability.

[What do you think the government would say if I asked for compensatory
measures to give Low-Saxon back the status it has the right to?]

Article 3

1. This Declaration considers the following to be inalienable personal rights
which may be exercised in any situation:

- the right to be recognized as a member of a language community;
- the right to the use of one's own language both in private and in public;
- the right to the use of one's own name;
- the right to interrelate and associate with other members of one's language
community of origin;
- the right to maintain and develop one's own culture;

[I can't use my language when I apply for a driver's license for example. I
can't change my name back to it's Low-Saxon equivalent. Maintenance and
development of my culture is severily hindered by the "indoctrination" that is
taking place in public schools.]

2. This Declaration considers that the collective rights of language groups,
may include the following, in addition to the rights attributed to the members
of language groups in the foregoing paragraph, and in accordance with the
conditions laid down in article 2.2:

- the right for their own language and culture to be taught;
- the right of access to cultural services;
- the right to an equitable presence of their language and culture in the
communications media;
- the right to receive attention in their own language from government bodies
and in socioeconomic relations.

[All schools are in Dutch only, except for some in Fryslân. Why can't we have
ours in Low-Saxon? We were punished at school for speaking Low-Saxon, instead
of Dutch (I emptied a few pens, writing "Ik zal netjes Nederlands spreken" or
something like that). I have access to cultural services, but again, in Dutch
only. My language and culture doesn't have an equitable presence in the media.
Yeah, there's this one TV-station that sometimes uses a very Dutchified form
of Low-Saxon, but there isn't anything like the channels Nederland 1, 2 and 3.
Where's "Nedersaksen 1"??? When adressing me, the government always adresses
me in Dutch, never in Low-Saxon. If I were to ask them to please use
Low-Saxon, they'd just dismiss it with the argument that it would be too
costly... (like there aren't any Low-Saxon speakers in the government)]

Article 4

1. This Declaration considers that persons who move to and settle in the
territory of another language community have the right and the duty to
maintain an attitude of integration towards this community. This term is
understood to mean an additional socialization of such persons in such a way
that they may preserve their original cultural characteristics while sharing
with the society in which they have settled sufficient references, values and
forms of behaviour to enable them to function socially without greater
difficulties than those experienced by members of the host community.

[Why then didn't the Hollanders integrate with us? Why do we have to change
everything to Dutch-only? Why am I stupid if I ask something in Low-Saxon in
public, while actually they're being stupid in not understanding it?]

Article 5

This Declaration is based on the principle that the rights of all language
communities are equal and independent of their legal status as official,
regional or minority languages. Terms such as regional or minority languages
are not used in this Declaration because, though in certain cases the
recognition of regional or minority languages can facilitate the exercise of
certain rights, these and other modifiers are frequently used to restrict the
rights of language communities.

[Exactly what I was aiming at in my letter to the Nationaal Comité... They put
the predicate "regional" on the Low-Saxon language, and therefore they think
that the language is a lesser language, or at least a minority language, while
if you do a good
count, the balance might just tilt the other way...]

Article 6

This Declaration considers that a language cannot be considered specific to a
territory merely on the grounds that it is the official language of the state
or has been traditionally used within the territory for administrative
purposes or for certain cultural activities.

[This is what happens everywhere.]

Article 7

2. All languages are collectively constituted and are made available within a
community for individual use as tools of cohesion, identification,
communication and creative expression.

[I don't have any of those...]

Article 8

2. All language communities are entitled to have at their disposal whatever
means are necessary to ensure the transmission and continuity of their
language.

[Do any of you think the Dutch government would facilitate us if we were to
establish a Low-Saxon orthography or even a standard variety? I think not...]

Article 9

All language communities have the right to codify, standardize, preserve,
develop and promote their linguistic system, without induced or forced
interference.

[Forced interference: punishment in school, not acknowledging any Low-Saxon
orthography or standard. Induced interference: through the media, by attaching
a Low-Saxon accent to anything that has to look stupid.]

Article 10

1. All language communities have equal rights.

[No we don't... The Dutch-speakers can have it all, we can't have any.]

2. This Declaration considers discrimination against language communities to
be inadmissible, whether it be based on their degree of political sovereignty,
their situation defined in social, economic or other terms, the extent to
which their languages have been codified, updated or modernized, or on any
other criterion.

[I lost 4 of my "friends", exactly because of discrimination against me and my
community. But do you think anybody would do something about it?]

3. All necessary s
teps must be taken in order to implement this principle of equality and to
render it real and effective.

[Well, let's see some measures then, where are they?]

Article 11

All language communities are entitled to have at their disposal whatever means
of translation into and from other languages are needed to guarantee the
exercise of the rights contained in this Declaration.

["Mr. Kok, here's my tax papers, I did them in Low Saxon..." I might just risk
being fined or something like that.
Also, they SAY I can use my language in court, but I haven't seen any
translators there yet. Added to that, I think the judge would be very
unfavourably, if I spoke only Low-Saxon to him.]

Article 12

1. Everyone has the right to carry out all activities in the public sphere in
his/her language, provided it is the language specific to the territory where
s/he resides.

["Ik wil gerne my paspoort laoten ferlengen..." "Sorry, wat zegt u?" This
means, effectively, that I HAVE to use Dutch to get my passport extended...
Only in my hown town they have 1(just ONE) window in the city hall where one
can speak Low-Saxon, but that is *completely* voluntarily. The government did
not in any way tell them they had to have it. I suspect they'd like it to be
removed even...]

Article 13

1. Everyone has the right to know the language specific to the territory in
which s/he lives.

[How can one know his own language when he can't get any education in it?]

2. Everyone has the right to be polyglot and to know and use the language most
conducive to his/her personal development or social mobility, without
prejudice to the guarantees established in this Declaration for the public use
of the language specific to the territory.

[The schoolteachers still say it's bad to be polyglot, that it hinders your
*DUTCH* language skills (well, it doesn't, on the contrary, it enhances
them!).]

Article 15

2. All language communities have the right for le
gal and administrative acts, public and private documents and records in
public registers which are drawn up in the language of the territory to be
valid and effective and no one can allege ignorance of this language.

[Since when can official documents be drawn up in Low-Saxon???]

Article 16

All language communities have the right to communicate in their own language
with the central, territorial, local and supraterritorial services of the
public authorities and of those administrative divisions which include the
territory to which the language is specific.

[Calling The Hague in Low-Saxon is like calling Elvis...]

Article 17

1. All language communities are entitled to have at their disposal and to
obtain in their own language all official documents pertaining to relations
which affect the territory to which the language is specific, whether such
documents be in printed, machine-readable or any other form.

2. Forms and standard administrative documents, whether in printed,
machine-readable or any other form, must be made available and placed at the
disposal of the public in all territorial languages by the public authorities
through the services which cover the territories to which each language is
specific.

["Mr. Kok, can I have that law you just passed in Low-Saxon please?" I don't
think so...]

Article 19

1. Representative Assemblies must have as their official language(s) the
language(s) historically spoken in the territory they represent.

[I'd like to see this one happen! But my best bet is when hell freezes
over...]

Article 23

1. Education must help to foster the capacity for linguistic and cultural
self-expression of the language community of the territory where it is
provided.

2. Education must help to maintain and develop the language spoken by the
language community of the territory where it is provided.

3. Education must always be at the service of linguistic and cultural div
ersity and of harmonious relations between different language communities
throughout the world.

4. Within the context of the foregoing principles, everyone has the right to
learn any language.

[Again, the Dutch-speakers have it all, we haven't got any...]

Article 24

All language communities have the right to decide to what extent their
language is to be present, as a vehicular language and as an object of study,
at all levels of education within their territory: preschool, primary,
secondary, technical and vocational, university, and adult education.

[That's what I mean when I say that it's OUR decision, not theirs, to
determine whether to use Low-Saxon or not. They do NOT have the right to
determine that for us, but in practive, they do that anyway.]

Article 25

All language communities are entitled to have at their disposal all the human
and material resources necessary to ensure that their language is present to
the extent they desire at all levels of education within their territory:
properly trained teachers, appropriate teaching methods, text books, finance,
buildings and equipment, traditional and innovative technology.

[We pay taxes to provide for all this, BUT, in Dutch only... Maybe I'll ask
Kok tomorrow whether he'd like to shift some of the money to where it belongs
;)]

Article 28

All language communities are entitled to an education which will enable their
members to acquire a thorough knowledge of their cultural heritage (history,
geography, literature, and other manifestations of their own culture), as well
as the most extensive possible knowledge of any other culture they may wish to
know.

[The Charlemange example is applicable here. We were taught that he was a
great king. Yet if you look into it, he wasn't that good to us at all... And
for the Batavians the same, I'm not a Batavian who came flotting down the
Rhine! I'm of Saxon heritage!]

Article 30

The language and culture of all language communities must be the subject of
study and research at university level.

[In Amsterdam, they want to give up on Frisian, and trade it for Greek or
something... In Groningen, they studied Low-Saxon for a while, but now they've
sort of given up on it. Same goes for Nijmegen, as far as I know. When asked
for input on the Dutch language, they're all first in line, but when asked for
input on Low-Saxon (like a while ago they were asked for collaboration in the
context of the Siguard project), they say they don't have the time, money or
personnel...]

Article 31

All language communities have the right to preserve and use their own system
of proper names in all spheres and on all occasions.

[NOT! As I said before, I can only use a proper Dutch name... The law
specifically prohibits the changing of one's name only for the sole reason to
make it something else. You have to be threatened or something, before they
let you do that... And what about placenames? I always write the name of my
home town as Rysen (which is historically and phonetically correct), but we
don't have the right to put that on the signs (it's just Rijssen on the signs
and nothing else).]

2. All language communities have the right to establish, preserve and revise
autochthonous place names. Such place names cannot be arbitrarily abolished,
distorted or adapted, nor can they be replaced if changes in the political
situation, or changes of any other type, occur.

[This happened with almost all the placenames in my area, all were
Dutch-ified. The vast majority in my home town (25.000 people!) for example is
of Low-Saxon decent, so there is a very good reason to call the town Rysen,
but no, the Dutch lords decided it would be named Rijssen...]

Article 35

All language communities have the right to decide the extent to which their
language is be present in all the communications media in their territory,
whether local and traditional media, those with a wider scope, or those using
more advanced technology, regardless of the method of dissemination or
transmission employed.

[Yup, give us one of those national channels...]

Article 43

All language communities are entitled to access to the works produced in their
language.

[So where's the Low-Saxon part of the local library???]

Article 45

All language communities have the right for the language specific to the
territory to occupy a pre-eminent position in cultural events and services
(libraries, videothËques, cinemas, theatres, museums, archives, folklore,
cultural industries, and all other manifestations of cultural life).

[Yep, that's why the material in the local museum of history is completely in
Dutch...]

Article 47

3. The use of other languages in this sphere [socioeconomic] can only be
required in so far as it is justified by the nature of the professional
activity involved. In no case can a more recently arrived language relegate or
supersede the use of the language specific to the territory.

[Dutch law forces us to do everything in the socioeconomic sphere in Dutch. We
can use Low-Saxon if we like, but we are forced to use Dutch at least.
According to part 3 of the article, it should be exactly the other way around:
Low-Saxon is mandatory, and you can do it in Dutch too, if you like.]

Article 48

1. All language communities have the right to use their language with full
legal validity in economic transactions of all types, such as the sale and
purchase of goods and services, banking, insurance, job contracts and others.

[If I opt for a new job, and receive my contract in Low-Saxon, then it's not a
legal document.]

3. All language communities are entitled to have the documents required for
the performance of the above-mentioned operations at their disposal in their
own language. Such documents include forms, cheques, contracts, invoices,
receipts, delivery notes, order
forms, and others.

[Cool, let's request those]

2. All language communities have the right to receive full oral and written
information in their own language on the products and services proposed by
commercial establishments in the territory, such as instructions for use,
labels, lists of ingredients, advertising, guarantees and others.

[Never understood why in the Netherlands languages such as Norwegian were on
the labels and Low-Saxon wasn't, while this could prove very helpful to older
people.]

3. All public signs and announcements affecting the safety of the public must
be written at least in the language specific to the territory, in conditions
which are not inferior to those of any other language.

[Oh goody, multi-lingual signs. But if I look out of the window, I see just
Dutch-only signs.]

Additional Dispositions

First

The public authorities must take all appropriate steps to implement the rights
proclaimed in this Declaration within their respective areas of jurisdiction.
More specifically, international funds must be set up to foster the exercise
of linguistic rights in communities which are demostrably lacking in
resources. Thus the public authorities must provide the necessary support so
that the languages of the various communities may be codified, transcribed,
taught, and used in the administration.

[Didn't see any of that yet.]

Second

The public authorities must ensure that the authorities, organizations and
persons concerned are informed of the rights and correlative duties arising
from this Declaration.

[Then why did I have to stumble across it by accident on a website? Why wasn't
I informed through a public letter or a television broadcast or something like
that? I know, because they don't want us to know... If one doesn't know about
his rights, then one can't exercise them either. Keep the people stupid and
governing will be pretty easy, won't it?]

Third

The public authoritie
s must establish, in the light of existing legislation, the sanctions arising
from the violation of the linguistic rights laid down in this Declaration.

[Like the Dutch government is going to sanction itself...]

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