LL-L: "Language survival" LOWLANDS-L, 02.MAR.2001 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 02.MAR.2001 (01) * 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: Edwin Alexander [edsells at idirect.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Language survival" LOWLANDS-L, 28.FEB.2001 (01) [E]

At 08:06 AM 02/28/01 -0800, Rudi Vari wrote:

Contrast this with German speaking South Africans who have maintained their
language for up to four generations after immigrating to SA. This, I believe,
is largely due to their very strong support for the Deutsche Schule. There is
one
in Pretoria, one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town. Some of your
contributors
on the topic of Scots survival and acceptance, stated that if a language is to
survive, it needs to be spoken at school. I believe that to be true in the
case of German. One should also not forget the well established and
flourishing
Lutheran Church which conducts its services only in German.

Question: does this phenomenon occur in other countries and other languages?

In Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, we had a HUGE influx of Dutch and Frisian
speaking peoples after WWII, and they established a very large number of
Reformed Churches in and around the area.  To the best of my knowledge,
however, there are no services in Dutch, to say nothing of Frisian.  They have
their own nursing home (where my Frisian informant Nick Klynstra passed away
in early February) where one hears a lot of Dutch and Frisian, but that's
about it.

Contrast that with a much more modest HG speaking immigration flow during the
same period, but yet supports to this day three very well attended German
language congregations, one of which, the Evangelical, was established in the
19th century, plus a Roman Catholic and a Baptist of more recent years.  I've
been to all but the RC, and one must arrive early to get a seat.

In recent years, there have been "Heritage Language classes" in Dutch in the
school system, but I don't know any children of Dutch immigrants who can do
more that understand the spoken language, if that.

Ed Alexander
JAG REALTY INC.
80 Jones Street Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8R 1Y1
Pager: 905-312-5204  Fax: 905-525-6671 http://www.deerhurst.com/jag/
"More buildings are destroyed every year by termites than by fires"

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