LL-L "Language politics" 2009.09.26 (02) [DE-EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 26 September 2009 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Thanks for your comments in this thread, Hanne and Jonny.

Jonny, you wrote:

*Reinhard schrieb:*

Unless I totally misunderstand it, the basic premise of the author's thesis
appears to be the typical one prior to the late 20th century: a language is
only then valuable and thus worth saving if it has complex morphological
forms, that languages that do not have developed such forms are "primitive"
and that those that have lost them are "debased".
Ich interpretiere es ein wenig anders (habe aber natürlich den kompletten
Text gelesen): es ging ihm in der Hauptsache um eine Einigung der deutschen
Teil- und Duodez-Staaten zu *einem* Deutschland, und dabei schien ihm
Sprachenvielfalt im Wege zu sein.

For the sake of everyone I rephrase: the protagonist was mostly interested
in the unification of then disjointed group of independent and
semi-independent states under the label "Germany", and he was interested in
doing away with linguistic diversity.

This was indeed the *modus operandi* in those days, and its ghost haunts
German and European minds till this day, hence today's opposition to (mostly
in passive-aggressive form) to the European Languages Charter. We are
dealing with the "one country = one ethnicity = one language" mindset, one
that is opposed to internal diversity and is therefore closely linked with
xenophobia.

I can see that, Jonny. But from what I read in the parts you sent us, I
gather that he sought to present "linguistic" arguments to support his
essentially politically motivated call for abandoning Low Saxon (Low
German). I heard him claim that the latter had had its glory days and was
now "debased" and ready for the scrap yard.

And why single out Low Saxon? By virtue of a powerful commercial empire with
its own Saxon lingua franca, the North had had its semi-independence from
the "Holy Roman Empire" even after the Saxons had finally been subdued and
Christianized by Charlemagne and his heirs. The (real) Saxon language was
quite different from that of Germany proper and was not readily
comprehensible to others, except to speakers of Dutch. Saxons (and Slavs)
were entitled to use their own languages in a court of law. Martin Luther
commissioned a special Bible translation for the Saxons but none in any
other Germanic language used in the area of the "Holy Roman Empire". In
other words, the language of the Saxons was seen as different as well as
powerful, and this view lingered even after the decline of the language with
the decline of the Hanseatic League. In other words, it seems to me (and you
don't have to subscribe to conspiracy theories to feel that) that having the
Saxon language and thereby Saxon ethnic and cultural identity disappear was
seen as the means of bringing the North into the German fold, especially as
far as the wealthy, independent city states Hamburg and Bremen were
concerned, also the area north of it that had been claimed by Denmark. This
is why I was talking about "denigration." He seemed to say, "Sure, it's nice
to listen to that kind of talk at home by the fire, but it ain't a real
language no more. So don't waste your time trying to keep it alive!" And
indeed, in his days the language had already been outlawed in schools and in
most churches, as had the Slavic languages of Germany.

As one of my favorite friends likes to say, "It is what it is." You can't
undo what has been done, unless you resort to extreme measures, such as
secession followed by draconian language politics as for instance in
post-Soviet Latvia. I don't think there are too many people that follow the
pipe dream of Low Saxon becoming *the* language of the North again. I think
that in these days of appreciating rather than fearing diversity it is
however reasonable to expect that Low Saxon be given room and respect to
develop as a language in its own right.

*All* languages, like *all* cultures, are valuable and can do what they are
supposed to do, as long as they are given the freedom and respect to do so.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

P.S.: Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone. I suggest that, if you do get
the flu that is going around now, you lie low and let it run its course
fully. If you don't, it will come to bite you in the behind.

•

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