Rusinskij jazyk -- sources

[Patrick.Seriot at SLAV.UNIL.CH]

>On Tue, 22 Jun 2004, Genevra Gerhart wrote:
>
>>  ...if there is 80% or more mutual comprehension, then one so-called language
>  > is a dialect of another.
>>
The dialect/language question is NOT a linguistic question, but a
strictly political one. It is impossible to measure mutual
comprehension, because it is extremely subjective, some speakers of
Spanish understand more or less Italian, some don't, it depends on
the efforts you do, on your sympathy towards the others, if you have
learnt Latin or not at school, etc.
The Dutch and the North Germans speak the same kind of dialects (they
have the same continuum in a diasystem), but the standards are
different (in Central and Eastern Europe it would be called a
"literary language" : literaturnyj jazyk, spysovny jazyk, knjizoven
jezik, etc.).
The Serbs and the Croat did have the same standard, now some
extremists say they don't understand each other (which is true on the
ideological level, not on the linguistic one). Fortunately, a Serb
film which is shown in Croatia with Croatian subtitles (!) make
everybody laugh, because what is written is the same as what is
said...
"Coffee" is "kava" in Serb and "khava" in Bosnian. Is it not a proof
that Serb and Bosnian are TOTALLY different languages?
The official website of Montenegro on its first page says that the
Montenegrin language is TOTALLY different from Serb, because it has
one more letter in its alphabet. Can you find a more convincing
argument?
The Rumanians pronounce "Eminescu" and the Moldavians pronounce
something like "Jeminjescu". Is this difference enough ore not enough
to say that the Moldavian language EXISTS? The aim of the discussion
is to decide whether Moldavia should be an independent state or a
part of Rumania. But instead of spending one's time and energy on so
futile and sterile discussions, it would be better to find a way of
purchasing gas and electricity in Moldavia so the people don't die
from cold in the winter.
So let the Rusyns of Slovakia have their independence if they want,
independence is a political claim, not a linguistic aim.
The continuum of dialects should not be confounded with the
discontinuity of standards.
Patrick SERIOT
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