LL-L "Language politics" 2007.10.13 (07) [E]

Sat Oct 13 23:24:13 UTC 2007

L O W L A N D S - L  -  12 October 2007 - Volume 07
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Danette & John Howland <dan_how at msn.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2007.10.13 (02) [E]

Marlou wrote:

        "Humans seem to see widely used words as given wholes and do not
question their spelling. The power of habit :-)"

Here's a pretty good article in English on word recognition:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ctfonts/WordRecognition.aspx

Best to all,

John Howland

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From: "M.-L. Lessing" <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2007.10.13 (02) [E]

Heather wrote:
Wasn't it more that French was used as the language of diplomacy because it
is the language least likely to produce ambiguities? I had understood that
English produced too many or needed copious circumlocutions to avoid them
but French has a precision not least because of its lack of synonyms.

Hmm??? Since when is precision and avoiding ambiguities the object of
diplomacy? It might be their ruin. No more papers, statements and UN
resolutions that harm nobody...

Marlou

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From: "Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc." <roger.thijs at euro-support.be>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2007.10.11 (01) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Language politics
> I believe that Dutch had virtually no impact in Belgian colonies.

Important is what language the administration uses. The positioning of Dutch
in Belgium came too late for having a major impact.

Chronology of the *Congo*
1885 The independent state of Congo is recognized (directly ruled by the
Belgian king)
1908 Belgium takes over the Congo
1960 Congo becomes independent

Chronology of the official position of *Dutch in Belgium* (simplified)
1883 Dutch allowed as teaching language in middle schools in the North of
Belgium (for ages 12-14: but only for teaching Germanic languages for ages
15-18)
1898 French and Dutch versions of enacted law equivalent (before Dutch
versions were just considered "translations")
1914-18 WWI (Belgium occupied by the Germans, except for the Westhoek in
Flanders)
1916 administative autonomy of "Vlaanderen" (Northern Belgium) (till 1918)
1917 Dutch as administrative language in Brussels (till 1918)
1918ff anti-Germanic repression
1922 Dutch allowed for some courses at Ghent University
1930 Dutch the language of Ghent University
1932 Dutch administrative language in municipalities with a Dutch-declared
majority in the language censi (once every 10 years, making flipping
situations for the administrative language in some municipalities).
1934 Dutch as language in courts in Northern Belgium
1940-44 WWII (Belgium occupied by Nazi-Germany)
1945ff anti-Germanic (incl. anti-Flemish) repression
1947 desastrous recession of declared Dutch along the language border in the
1947 census
1962-1963 Dutch administrative language North of a frozen language border
(no more censi shifts)

Comments:
The language censi allowed only choices between Dutch, French and German.
The linguisically Limburgish speaking Sippenaeken became suddenly French as
result of the 1930 census since Limburgish speakers were divided between
Dutch an German, allowing French to win)

There have been some actions in favor of *Dutch in the Congo*.
In 1956 a judge ruled in Dutch in Elisabethstad, this was undone though in
appeal. Protests have been leading to the law of 5 feb 1957 for allowing the
use of both Dutch and French in courts in the Congo. As a secondary result,
internal notes of the administration became bilingual French-Dutch.
Some Dutch-language *magazines* at the time in Kongo: "*Band*", "*
Zuiderkruis*", "*De Week*".
A *daily* newspaper "*Standpunten*" was published in Elisabethstad, but it
lasted only for one year.
"*Radio Belgisch-Kongo*" had Dutch language programs from WWII till July 7,
1960.
Dutch was used as language in several *primary schools (ages 6-12)*.
There were only Dutch-language *secondary schools (ages 12-18)* in
Leopoldstad, Elisabethstad, Bukavu and Luluaburg.
I remember from pictures they had a mixed population (colonial + local).

Personal memory:
I remember as a kid in 1959 (the year before independence) that some
Congolese guys of about 16-18 were hosted in our village as guest of the
"Kajotters", an organization of young Christian workers. I guess it was part
of a program of formation before the independence. The Congolese guys were
somehow an attraction in our rural Limburgish village. They spoke Dutch
fairly well (even better than us kids, speakers of Limburgish). It was a
kind of Belgian-radio Dutch they spoke.

Concluding:
too little too late for having a lasting result.

PS. I found a reference (but I don't have the book):
*- A. Verthé en B. Henry, Geschiedenis van de Vlaams-Afrikaanse Letterkunde
(1961, Leuven, Davidsfonds)*
(Walter Geerts used it as basis for a contribution about literature in the
Kongo in the Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging, 1973)
"Vlaams-Afrikaans" = Belgian Dutch of the Congo.

Reference found on a page on  the internet:
*- Band en Zuiderkruis. Historisch overzicht van het Nederlands in
Midden-Afrika
*(J. Deleu) Ons Erfdeel - 1961, nr 2, pp. 35-37

Regards,
Roger

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

Thanks for all of that, Roger!

You commented:

The language censi allowed only choices between Dutch, French and German.
The linguisically Limburgish speaking Sippenaeken became suddenly French as
result of the 1930 census since Limburgish speakers were divided between
Dutch an German, allowing French to win)

Which leaves out Walloon (and I mean real Walloon, not Belgian French).
Sure, most Walloons use French in writing all or most of the time.

From where I stand, Walloon looks like a separate langue d'oïl language that
has poor or little mutual intelligibility with French, except that all
Walloons know French as well and thus think the two are more closely related
than they are from the point of view of a French speaker with no prior
Walloon exposure.

(Most Walloon speakers live in Southern Belgium, a minority in adjacent
parts of France (*botte de Givet* in the Northern Ardennes) and also in two
communities (Doncols and Sonlez) in Luxemburg and in Door County, Wisconsin,USA
.)

So how does Walloon fit in here?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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