Slavistik/Slawistik as shibboleth

[John J Ronald]

On Mon, 29 Dec 1997, Loren A. BILLINGS wrote:

> Bjoern Wiemer wrote the following:
>
> > I am from the Western part of Germany and would write only
> >SlaVistik (as you say); but this use is also strengthened by the fact that
> >when translitering Cyrillic characters into Latin ones, V is used, not W.
>
> Before that, I had written he following:
>
> >>In the German-speaking world, there is an (albeit orthographic) distinction
> >>between _Slawistik_ (roughly speaking, in Austria and East Germany) and
> >>_Slavistik_ (used elsewhere).  Predictably, this distinction has become
> >>functionalized.  With German unification, some places, such as my own
> >>current affiliation (for two more days) in the former East Germany, use
> >>_Slavistik_; I've heard of some places where the institute's name is
> >>spelled one way while the name of a publication there is spelled the other
> >>way.

I am not a German but an American with an MA in German
Studies who nonetheless studied Russian as an academic
minor and who has always been interested in Slavic Literature,
especially the Czechs.  In writing about Slavic stuff in
German I always say >>Slawistik<<, but only out of a desire
to emphasize the German (And POLISH) usage of >>W<< as being equivalent
to english >>V<< and German >>V<< being more correctly
associated with english >>F<<.  However, in at the end of
words, I tend to retain the latin >>V<< usage, since
linguistically this is more of an >>F<< sound in
German....for example: Rostov anstatt Rostow, oder
Romanov anstatt Romanow.  In ENglish this is often
rendered not with >>V<< but rather with >FF<.  Smirnoff Vodka,
for example.

> I agree that there is complete homophony between the two spellings.  The
> distinction between _Slavic_ and _Slavonic_ in English is more real
> linguistically.

As an ignorant Germanist, could you please explain to me
(via private e-mail, so as not to bore the rest of
SEELANGS) the difference?

>  Still, the choice between _Slavistik_ and _Slawistik_
> (specifically in the _Neue L"ande_)

(In den NEUEN LAENDER, by the way)

> functions as a shibboleth of sorts, in
> the sense that the writer is inevitably identified with a particular camp
> by his/her choice.  That's all I wished to point out.

Again, could you please expain this?  I confess
total ignorance on this point and desire enlightentment...

--John Ronald
Rice University
Dept.  of German & Slavic Studies