LL-L "Language maintenance" 2007.05.02 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  02 May 2007 - Volume 02

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From: Diederik Masure <didimasure at hotmail.com>
Subject:

This article appeared a day or so before I joined again, so it might already
have been posted.
http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/0,1518,479843,00.html

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From: Diederik Masure <didimasure at hotmail.com>
Subject: Language maintenance

Thanks, Diederik.

Yes, I think it was Pat that posted the text a few days ago.  But I still
found it interesting to look at the actual article.

To those that don't read German please let me briefly explain that this
article in Spiegel (an important, more "serious" magazine published in
Germany) explains the states and situations of Germany's minority languages
and predicts that these will vanish within a generation or so if they are
not maintained and passed on.

To most of us, this isn't stunning news.  However, it's good to see it
featured in the mainstream press, considering that the majority of German
speakers don't know (much) about it nor care about it but need to realize
that these are important issues for some people.  I suppose that the
reaction of many will be something like "Good riddance," considering that
those that have been around for a while have been taught that ethnic and
linguistic diversity is a problem for a country rather than an asset.  But,
as in most places, the wind has been changing direction.

I maintain that the main obstacle lies in the "main players'" failure to be
open to new approaches in order to foster alternative publications and
performances and thus to attract more and younger people to the minority
language communities.  The communities themselves are in great part to blame
in that they tend to be non-supportive of unconventional approaches and tend
to be unwelcoming and discouraging toward younger people that are
enthusiastic but are not first-language speakers.

I consider the Sorbian community to be ahead as far as approach is
concerned, though its speaker numbers are dwindling also and there are
problems recruiting younger actors, for instance.  At least there are some
admirable novel publishing and performing efforts.  I am impressed by the
level of some published Sorbian writing, especially poetry, and there have
been some stunning theater and recital performances as well as much support
for modern art among ethnic Sorbs (not necessarily all native speakers of
Sorbian). My assessment of this is that the main reason for this relatively
high level of vitality and openness is that Sorbs, though German citizens,
definitely consider themselves ethnically separate and independent from
ethnic Germans and related but also independent from neighboring West
Slavonic communities (Silesians, Poles, Kashubians, Lachs, Czechs and
Slovaks).  I assume that progressively high levels of artistic expression
among Poles, Czechs and Slovaks have been inspiring them to venture beyond
traditional approaches.  Also, I am under the impression that most Sorbs
have simply accepted the fact that their languages are strongly
German-influenced, and they are moving on from there instead of moaning and
groaning about declining standards while the languages fade into oblivion in
the meantime.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

•

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