Keeping Livonian (fwd)

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Language | 17.06.2007
Deutsche Welle

Keeping Livonian -- Latvia's Lesser Known Language -- Alive

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2610591,00.html

Livonian is recognized in Riga as Latvia's indigenous language
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Livonian is recognized in
Riga as Latvia's indigenous language

There are less than a dozen native speakers of Livonian living in Latvia
today. While experts are not very optimistic, language enthusiasts hope to
keep the language of their ancestors alive.

Even though only a handful of people speak Livonian as their mother tongue,
this Finno-Ugric language has experienced a small revival over the past few
years.

"I'm amazed by this," said Zoja Silje, a language teacher and author of a
Livonian textbook. "But some young people even think it's hip to send each
other text messages in Livonian."

Silje first came into contact with Livonian through her grandfather, who
spoke the language. She started learning her ancestors' language as a
student in the 1970s. Since then, she's also been singing in a Livonian
choir.

Livonian and Latvian, which is a Baltic language, sound very different from
each other. The Livonian alphabet has well over 30 letters, some of which
seem strange to Latvians and are difficult for them to pronounce.

The Livonians -- a people who once referred to themselves as raandalists,
"coast dwellers," or kalamied, "fishermen" -- have populated the Baltic
coastline for centuries. They made their living from fishing and
established trading contacts with other neighboring tribes in what is now
Latvia. Over time, they started leaving their villages, moving to cities
and assimilating with other ethnic groups. By the 19th century, there were
only around 2,000 of them left.

Mentality and identity

Some young people think it's hip to use LivonianBildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Some young people think
it's hip to use Livonian

Today, a Livonian youth group meets regularly in the Latvian capital, Riga.
Their language skills vary. Some have only been learning it for a few
months, others started speaking it as children with their grandparents.

The group organizes trips to Mazirbe, a town on the Latvian coast where
there's a Livonian cultural center, or to camps where they only speak
Livonian to each other.

"If you learn Livonian and not Spanish, the Livonians won't die," said
17-year-old Beate, who started learning Livonian two years ago.

"I will know it and teach it to my children," she said. "Everybody wants to
learn Spanish, but why would you need to go after the fashion? I think it's
a question of mentality."

According to Valts Ernstreits, an expert on Livonians in Latvia, learning an
endangered language has a lot to do with people embarking on a quest for
their identity.

"Latvian identity is very complicated," Ernstreits said. "It is basically
young. It has maybe a 500-year-long history. So it's pretty unstable. If
you can say you're Livonian, you have identified yourself back to the 12th
century."

Too little, too late?

Latvia has a rich ethnic historyBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit
der Bildunterschrift:  Latvia has a rich ethnic history

Livonian is officially recognized as an autochthonous Latvian language by
law. The government supports Livonian language activities and provides
funds for a state program called "Livonians in Latvia."

But, according to Ernstreits, the opportunity to save Livonian has been
missed.

"It is basically too late now to preserve the language," said Ernstreits.
"You'd have to have very strong motivation for that. Besides, you'd have to
be able to use it. And that is the main problem, because you don't have all
those native speakers around."

Zoja Silje would beg to differ. She believes that the language of her
ancestors will survive either way. One-hundred and fifty years ago, people
already thought that Livonian was on the verge of dying out. But it still
exists today -- and some even use it to send text messages over their cell
phones.