LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.10 (10) [E/LS/German]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 10.APR.2005 (10) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: language politics

[Find English bits farther down, after German and Low Saxon niceties.]

Jonny wrote:

> der Winter ist zwar auch in Nordeuropa im Rückzuge begriffen, dennoch
> begebe
> ich mich mit diesem Beitrag nach einigem Zögern noch einmal wissentlich,
> vorsätzlich aufs Glatteis.

Nu Du dryst un eerlich noug weyrst üm Dy in de loywen-kuul tou trouen, loyv'
ik Dy man bloots heyl sachtens tou byten. Nümst my dat den sachs nich vör
ungoud, ook nich dat ik 't up Ingelsch dou. Weetst ja, dat ik Dy lykers leyv
hev, lyk as al de annern Leyglanders (tou minst nu wy us "zusammengerauft"
hebt).

> Dir, lieber Reinhard, zunächst an dieser Stelle meinen Glückwunsch zur
> endgültigen Globalität, die Du durch Verleihung  der US-amerikanischen
> Staatsbürgerschaft nun erreichen wirst!

Wees bedankt, leyve Jonny! Büst 'n leyven keyrl.

> Ich persönlich empfinde es übrigens aus dem Herzen gesprochen, dass Du,
> aus
> Deiner momentanen Sicht der Welt, von Dir selbst als einem Europäer
> sprichst
> und nicht als "Deutschem"- so habe auch ich es empfunden, wenn ich
> transatlantisch oder transpazifisch weilte. Die kleinlichen europäischen
> Grenzen waren plötzlich weit fort: statt dessen spürte ich unwillkürlich
> die
> kulturelle Gemeinsamkeit der europäischen "Stämme" und deren zwei- oder
> mehr
> -tausendige gemeinsame Geschichte. All die vergangenen
> Auseinandersetzungen
> der Duodezstaaten erschienen mir dann lächerlich und vielfach
> unbegreiflich.

Is ja klaar.  Dat vinger-wysen is dummerhaftig.  Wichtig is nu de toukumst,
dat so 'n kraam ny nich wedder maloyrt, un daar wegen moet wy by 't slapen
jümmers eyn oog' apen holden. Un mit "wy" meyn ik dey heyle minschheyt.
Duytschland het ja maal by 't wed-rönnen _à la macabre_ d'n eyrsten prys
wunnen, man deyl-namen hebd dey meyrsten, un in "oever-sey" hebt sey de
inbarenen minschen mit veel unrecht an-vaten.  Mit steynen schul keyn eyn in
't glashuus smyten.

> Gestatte mir jedoch bereits hier die Frage, wie lange Du, als sprachlich
> und
> sozial integrierter Akademiker, auf Deine Einbürgerung hast warten müssen?

The minimum time between immigration and naturalization in the US (in
ordinary cases) is five years, in Australia three years.  In Australia I did
wait and acted right away (because I was totally in love with the country,
still am), while in the US I let 22 years go by, waiting for my own
readiness.

> Ich beziehe mich dabei auf Deine Worte:
> > When I visit Europe and share such observations and views, people tend
> > to
> > react with attitudes like "it's really more complex than you know" and
> > "it's
> > easy for you to judge, being used to living in melting pots."  The
> > underlying tenor tends to be that places like the Americas and Australia
> > have *chosen* diversity, that it is self-imposed,...
>
> Kein Pole, kein Niederländer, kein Finne, kein Ungar, kein Neapolitaner
> oder
> Portugiese (alle diese Nationen leben hier, in unserem kleinen Dorf von
> gerade mal ca. 1.000 Einwohnern, weitab von jeder City, friedlich,
> freundlich in toller Nachbarschaft zusammen) wird je wirklich ein Problem
> haben, sich in Deutschland wohl zu fühlen. In Deutschland fühlt sich nur
> DER
> unwohl, der deutsch (-europäische) Sitten, Freizügigkeit, offene, liberale
> Lebensart, vielleicht Religionsausübung (oder eben keine; weltweit
> existiert
> wohl nirgendwo eine so starke Areligiosität wie hier) ablehnt, gar
> bekämpft.

Of course!  And anyone opposed to the laws of the land.

> > and we see it in Germany's persistence in labeling and
> > treating generations of German-born Turks and others as "foreigners,"
> Wenn klein-asiatischen Einwanderern, besonders deren Frauen und Mädchen,
> noch in der dritten Generation wider ihren Willen von Seiten ihrer Familie
> (!!) verwehrt wird, die deutsche Sprache zu erlernen, geht es gewiss schon
> lange nicht mehr um die staatsabhängige Toleranz oder Intöleranz ihrer
> Sprache und Eigenheiten.

The question you need to ask about Islamic residents of Germany is "Are they
breaking any laws?"  In the case of those that do, incarcerate or extradite
them!  If the answer is "No," then what right is it of yours, of mine or of
anyone else's to judge them, their beliefs, their dress, their language use,
their family dynamics or anything else? By judging them beyond the legal
sphere, you are in fact illustrating what I mean by "ethno-nationalistic
cultural and linguistic dictates," crassly exemplified by France's recent
outlawing of Islamic dress in state schools (with outlawing of Jewish
yarmulkes and Christian crosses larger than so and so many centimeters being
a mere afterthought for legal reasons and placating of international
criticism).  I live in the part of Seattle with the highest Islamic
concentration (15 minutes' walk away from a mosque).  I see scores of veiled
women running around all the time.  And who cares?

> Wer nach "Amerika" (oder Australien, oder Argentinien, oder ...)
> auswandert,
> ist bereit zu Integration und Veränderung.
> Er/sie weiß: Du musst zupacken, Dir die Gewohnheiten, Bräuche, Strukturen
> aneignen, willst Du Fuß fassen- die Systeme dieser Auswanderungs-Länder
> verlangen es von Dir!

They are not "adapting" the way you are telling us people do in "traditional
immigration countries," neither are many other people of various background.
And that's just fine with most Americans these days.  Things have changed:
"being American" does not depend on your dress or religion.  In fact, by
being "different" you exemplify the freedom America is priding itself in
pursuing.  At least in this day and age this is not determined by
ethno-cultural dominance and dictates, by going to the same churches, eating
at the same diners and baking the same type of apple pie.

After 9/11, a guy drove his truck into our local mosque.  For weeks
afterwards, we, the neighbors of all sorts of backgrounds, took turns in
guarding the mosque day and night, and a sea of flowers gathered around it.
We see men and women in Islamic attire go and come from our mosque everyday.
On Saturday, people in Sabbath attire walk to and from our synagogues, some
of them conservative orthodox and dressed accordingly, for generations.
When I visit Chinatown (at least once a week) it's almost like being back in
China, and I hear very little English spoken, and sometimes I stop by a Zen
hall for meditation.  No, Jonny, this adaptation thing isn't as it used to
be, and yet, these people are American, Canadian, Australian or whatever.

> Anders hier: europäische Sozialgesetze sind intern, national, bestenfalls
> inner-europäisch konzipiert, nicht an diese gerade jetzt, in unserer Zeit
> geschehenden Völkerwanderungen der Neuzeit angepasst.

Indeed.  They are ethnically based, ethno-nationalist, where one ethnic
group wants to dictate the way of life, beliefs and language of both
newcomers and indigenous minorities.

Jonny, it is simply a pipedream and a cop-out to say that European countries
are not immigration countries.  People immigrate to them every single day,
not only "guest workers" and "asylum seekers" but also other types, not only
from Third World countries either.  I know several Americans, Canadians,
Australians and South Africans who have immigrated to Germany, for instance,
not to mention scores of folks from other European countries.  (Why, many of
our own Lowlanders are living proof.)  The "repatriation" of "Russia
Germans" has been a form of immigration also, as is the influx of hi-tech
specialists from all over the world.  Turks and others were *asked* to
immigrate as temporary workers, beginning with the 1960s.  So they stayed,
in part because they intermarried, managed to become naturalized, establish
businesses, etc.  There are now Germany-specific Turkish and Kurdish
dialects.  Those people are not going to go away, nor do their children want
to be anywhere else.  Just wake up and smell the coffee and admit that it's
OK to be Turkish German, African German, Islamic German and the like!
Germany and other European countries aren't that difference from the "New"
World, not in this day and age.

The world is changing fast.  Citizenships and borders are becoming less and
less important.  Today's pools of emigrants may become tomorrow's favorite
immigration destinations.  Aside from its controversy, "outsourcing," is now
a fact.  More and more Americans, both job seekers and retirees, are moving
to Mexico, and many are now acquiring Mexican citizenship.  More and more
"Westerners" are moving to India to benefit from the current outsourcing
boom, in part because they are needed to train Indians to do business with
the West, and many are starting their own businesses there.  I know several
people (including two Germans) that have answered the call, and some of them
look like they will stay there, having married Indians and raising children
there and being quite happy.

> Zurück zur Sprache dieser, ach so geschundenen Minderheiten in
> Deutschland:

Oh, come on!  No one said anything of the sort.

I think we all agree that we live in an age of accelerating globalization.
As far as I am concerned, the challenge is to take advantage of it (and in a
way we are doing it on this list) while at the same time creating an
atmosphere in which languages and cultures can not only survive but in fact
thrive, irrespective of their "sizes" and locations, irrespective of whether
they are indigenous or imported.  In my opinion, the basic requirements are
respect and compassion, appreciation of diversity, and an end to
territorialism and ethnocentrism.

Noug preysterd!

Kumpelmenten,
Reinhard/Ron

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