LL-L "Language politics" 2003.10.08 (01) [E]

Wed Oct 8 14:49:21 UTC 2003

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 08.OCT.2003 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/index.php?page=rules
Posting Address: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]
=======================================================================
You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================
A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (ZeÃªuws)
=======================================================================

From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at pandora.be>
Subject: Language use

Beste Uilleam,

When I read your remark:

>Indeed,similar to your situation, Ron, with the Low Saxon speakers, some of
the
>most virulently against Gaelic are of Highland ancestry themselves. It's a
>sad, sad situation.

I had to think involuntarily of the linguistic situation in Brussels, where
in the past quite often the most militant anti-dutch-speaking citizens were
of Flemish, Brabantish or Limburgish descent.

Utterly sad indeed.

Greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

----------

From: Anja Meyfarth <anja-meyfarth at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2003.10.04 (06) [E/German]

Moin Lowlanders!

Mike wrote:

>  For them "Sprachpflege" is like caring for an old grand-ma whose days are
> counted and whose remaining days have to be made as pleasant as possible
> (Folkloreseligkeit).

Dear Mike, I know the president of Quickborn quite well and I can assure you
that he is in no kind "folkloreselig". He is a decent fellow, working very
hard for Low Saxon and of a broad mind to everything out of the normal way.
He is well aware that Low Saxon is spoken in other parts of the world beside
Germany. Ron is quite right that it is not to be made reasonable to the
members of the Quickborn to change the name. They are absolutely not used to
referring to Low Saxon as Saksisch, it will not seem natural to them. There
is no use in such a change. I will not vote for it being a member myself. It
is already hard to refer to the language as Niederdeutsch so the change to
Saksisch is too hard. No, I think the main problem of the language is the
use of it, not its name. And its image. That can only be changed by
promoting a different kind of literature, of usage in official matters and
so on.
If you want to read stories that are in no way "folkloreselig" I recommend
the book "Swattsuuer", Hinstorff-Verlag, Rostock, given out by Bolko
Bullerdiek and Dirk RÃ¶mmer. Here are stories of horror and of the dark side
of live (some are translations, some are of Low Saxon origin). They did a
fantastic work by sampling all those texts. It's a pity that the book is not
selling but that's only too normal for Low Saxon readers. That's the problem
not the language's name.

Greetings from Kiel,

Anja

----------

From: CrÃostÃ³ir Ã“ Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Language use" 2003.10.07 (07) [E]

Uilleam is right to mention the Guardian article 'Tha Telebhisean Gaidhlig
Cac'. As an Irish speaker I was taken aback to find such a
not-in-my-backyard diatribe in such a supposedly progressive broadsheet.

In Ireland we have an Irish-language television channel, TG4, which is
moderately successful and is statute-bound to balance its books. It only
receives 25 million euro in funding each year but maintains a fairly high
quality output nonetheless. Due to this low level of funding TG4 rarely
receives the same kind of hostility as Gaelic programming in Scotland - or
indeed minority language programming.

Unfortunately there are far too many people out there who believe that any
progress for minority languages in the public sphere correspondingly means
something - usually financial - has been taken away from them too.

Anyone would think that us minority language speakers don't pay our taxes
like the rest of society!

CriostÃ³ir.

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Thanks for the info about the offending article, Uilleam.

Ridicule is a weapon of choice against minority demands, including minority
language movements, and ridicule -- at best as an expression of disapproval
and at worst as outright denigration and a stumbling block -- usually
continues after favorable legislation has been past.  Snide comments in
combination with catchy, silly-sounding phrases in the minority language,
interspersed or in the headline, are commonly found in the mainstream press.
The case of the article "Tha telebhisean GÃ idhlig cac" in _The Guardian_ is
just a blatant case.  Confining minority language TV and radio programming
as well as newspaper columns to the "funny," entertaining sphere is a more
"subtle" way of keeping the minority language in what is thought to be its
place.

Incidentally, I did enjoy the published letter to the editor complaining
about the offending article:

<quote>
Load of cac

Saturday September 27, 2003
The Guardian

Jenny Colgan's piece (Tha Telebhisean Gaidhlig cac, G2, September 23) was a
sad reflection on declining standards of journalism. It may have accurately
reflected her opinions, but it was factually inaccurate on a number of
counts, not least that Gaelic is spoken by a growing number of children and
that Gaelic television programmes are regularly watched, and presumably
enjoyed, by many times more people than the 90,000 or so in Scotland who
speak or understand Gaelic.

Perhaps the piece was written tongue in cheek, but the content and title -
Gaelic television is shit - gave the impression of a writer so confused that
she had placed her tongue between the wrong cheeks.
JA MacKay
Arnol, Isle of Lewis

</quote>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4762399-103683,00.html

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

================================END===================================
* Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
* Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.
* Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
* Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
  to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at
  http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================