LL-L "Language politics" 2008.07.03 (08) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 03 July 2008 - Volume 08
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From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2008.07.03 (07) [E]

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com <mailto:sassisch at yahoo.com>>

> Subject: Language politics
>
> Dear Lowlanders,
>
> Here's something from southwest across the European Lowlands fence in the
> area of language politics and activism.
>
> The French government may be sticking to its guns by refusing to make
> official any indigenous language besides French (based on a specific
> interpretation of the constitution). However, at the same time -- or is it
> /because/ of it? -- language activists in France seem to be getting rather
> boisterous. I've read a fair bit about Breton and Occitan rallies and
> demonstrations, and I've also been watching some video footage of such
> events as well as Occitan presentations online. There seems to be much more
> energy in the Occitan movement than in those of minority languages in
> Northern Europe, probably including French Flanders. Some of it seems like
> street parties. Participants look like having fun mixed with anger and
> frustration. There seem to be many, if not mostly, young people among them.
> There is a general call for Occitan consciousness, including calls with what
> sounds to me like secessionist tones. Might this be an example to show that
> non-recognition can unleash exactly that which non-recognition is supposed
> to prevent?
>
> While the situation is not as serious for Low Saxon for instance, I wonder
> if some of this youth-appealing energy would do its reassertion movement
> good in combating lethargy and infighting as well as administrative
> non-cooperation in the implementation of promised policies. It is my
> impression that some of this is indeed being done in the Netherlands' part
> of the Frisian-speaking world.
>
I guess there are two effects. On one side its subpression leading to
resistence. Its just like in physics class in school. What happens if you
put pressure on a gas? It will be compressed. But at one point it will turn
into a liquid and can't be compressed any more. If you still put pressure on
the liquid the forces in the inner will rise and develop counterpressure to
balance the pressure from the outside (in natural science this is an
equilibrium, actio = reactio). And if you still put more pressure on it,
well, it will burst.

The second effect is awareness. The human race tends to be very uncreative.
There are very few truly independant thinkers or truly creative people. The
whole human history is just about copying things already done by others.
Richard Dawkins and his memes. In a country with many linguistic minorities
(Bretons, Basque, Germans etc.) there is much talk about minority rights.
Much talk, many people hearing it. And if people are hearing much about
minorities, the meme starts to spread. They apply the minority thing to
themselves. Die Leute werden auf Ideen gebracht: Hey, there's something in
'minority', I am minority too!
People are not clever enough to realize they are a minority. They need to be
told they are or to be showed "how to".
There is not much media coverage of minorites in Germany. Some about
Tibetians and stuff like that, but Tibetans are too far away. If there was
more coverage of European minorities, like Occitans, Frisians, Catalans etc.
etc. in Germany that would massively increase the awareness of their own
linguistic heritage and the willingness to do something to keep this
heritage alive. The people _want_ to keep Low Saxon and the other minority
languages alive. In the opinion poll of the Plattdütskbüro in the spring 87%
said, they want to keep Low Saxon. Many native speakers really feel sadness
about their native language dwindling. But nobody starts doing anything
about it, cause they think that would be fighting against windmills.
Hundreds of thousands of people and everybody is thinking "alone I can do
nothing about it". They need to be told that others do fight the windmills
and that they are quite sucessful, like the Catalans fighting the windmills
of La Mancha. Too few people know, that they actually _can_ change the
world. (or the wrong ones do)

Marcus Buck
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