LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.08 (02) [E/German]

Fri Apr 8 15:14:45 UTC 2005

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West) Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Larry Granberg <nibwit at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.07 (04) [E]

Hi all,
This thread touched a nerve among many experiences that I have had here in
Luxembourg. Many Luxembourgers are proud of their language, and their
insistence to use it has brought some backlash from those  visitors and
workers from Belgium or France who would have nothing to do with learning
even the most elementary words and phrases in Luxembourgish. Their attitude
is that French is superior because of it's unique position of being the
language of the people that brought culture to the rest of the western
world. Just the other day, in a supermarket an elderly Luxembourgish lady
was asking where is the perfume section in her language of a clerk whose
reply was that she did not understand Luxembourgish, that she only spoke
French and was visibly irritated with this customer. This went on for a bit
until some Luxembourgers around who understood French got involved and let
the clerk know how rude she was, after all parfume is pronounced the same in
both languages. This was not the first time that I have observed rudeness on
the part of the French living and working here. Germans on the other hand do
learn some Luxembourgish, but are condescending in that they regard
Luxembourgish as just another novel little dialect of German. For many of
the younger Luxembourgers that I have met and talked to, when approached in
either one of the above languages, they respond in either Luxembourgish or
English, with no apologies made. I asked one young woman who understood
perfectly French, why not just answer back in that language, and she told me
like where have I been all my life, French is just so not cool. When pressed
for a better answer, she said that she was tired of the imperialism of the
French language, and if people can not understand her language, then she
will just reply in English because everyone should know English. For her,
and the others of her group, English represented being free of either French
or German. This is not the position of all the young, but it is interesting
that some are actively choosing English rather than other languages to
converse in.
I have to agree with Criostóir, official status means virtually nothing when
not put into practice, or to force those governments to put into practice
agreements that were signed when becoming members of the EU. However,
Roger's suggestion that Esperanto would be a means of preserving minority
languages is I think, in the end, impracticable. Mimicking natural languages
is not a guarantee that minority languages would be preserved. Only by
speaking would these languages be preserved. English as being used by the EU
as the language of communication instead of French or German does not mean
the end of the minority languages. Quite the opposite I believe. It has
nothing to do with any agendas of those nations in EU, plus it is has the
position of being a leading language of business. More people in Lithuania
know English than French. The only real opposition that I could is for those
nationalists who believe that the use of English would somehow further the
American cultural takeover of Europe. But, I guess that leads us back to the
question of language vs. nationality.

----------

From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.07 (06) [E]

Mark Brooks wrote:
"I have a question related to this. Didn't Latin have a similar status
regarding the Church and the Academy back in the Middle Ages? At the time,
those two institutions would have played a similar role in some respects to
the role of governments today, no? That fact didn't prevent Latin from dying
out... or was it already dead as a language spoken by the common people?"

I cannot speak for Latin, but my remark on the Irish Government's treatment
of Irish refers to the Government's stated policy of Irish "as the national
[and] first official language" in the 1937 Constitution being completely
ignored. In reality, it is nigh on impossible to interact with official
agencies in Ireland without English. Over 99 per cent of parliamentary
debates are in English. Cabinet meetings are in English. Bills and acts are
rarely published in Irish, and usually only after long delay. Internal
communication in official agencies is almost entirely in English. Irish is
no longer a compulsory school subject, nor is it a prerequisite for
government employment as had previously been the case (ironically enough
however, even today, 60-90 per cent of government employees - with the
notable exception of the Defence Forces - still return themselves as Irish
speaking according to census data). Irish-medium education has been resisted
by a number of government departments. The Government is even moving away
from the established policy of giving Irish names to state agencies. Irish
is not used at all on temporary public signage, and presented in a smaller,
italicised font on permanent signage. Government websites are hardly ever
bilingual. Nearly all Government paperwork (polling cards, registration
forms, advertisements, etc.) is in English only.

Go raibh maith agat,

Criostóir.

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From: Mark Williamson <node.ue at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.07 (04) [E]

I think that all efforts to keep languages alive would be better if
all regions adopted the Welsh idea that there is no escaping education
in the native language but by leaving the region.

Surely, if for example Ireland followed the example of Wales, it would
soon be a fully bilingual nation? Southeast Wales, which hasn't been a
Welsh-speaking area for many centuries now, has kids there now who
converse in Welsh because they need it for school.

Many minority languages have in the past been literally beaten out of
children.

I don't see why a total immersion approach in schools could not work
the other way as well (except without the cruel measures against
speaking the native tongue - the teacher speaking the language is one
thing, but whipping students into speaking it as well is torture in
either direction), and it saddens me that so far only Wales has
totally implemented this.

I think the reason for this is that many people are badly educated
about bilingualism, and are afraid that Welsh-medium or Irish-medium
or Limburgish-medium or Söl`ring-medium &c. education will result in
stunted growth of proficiency in the national language (English,
English, Dutch, and German respectively in these examples).

But really. Please. It just hurts so much to see that so many language
revival efforts go on for even 30 or more years doing nothing more
than 2nd-language education for adults (evening classes). This is not
going to bring your language back. If this is all you do, you can kiss
your language goodbye right now.

Educating children through the medium of the indigenous/minority
language is the only sure way to revive or preserve it. In most
nations there is a curricular requirement that all students learn the
national language as well. This isn't a problem - one class period can
be used for this, and the medium should probably be the national
language. Does this injure the effectiveness of the school environment
in reinforcing the role of the indigenous language as dominant? No, it
does not as long as use of the national language by teachers is
restricted to that particular class period.

In addition, there is the problem of what to do with kids with passive
fluency. (this means kids who will hear a question in the
indigenous/minority language but answer in the national language) The
answer is very simple. The teacher should not cruelly insist that the
student use only the indigenous/minority language, but rather work
_with_ the student, constantly encouraging - but not forcing - the
usage of the indigenous/minority language and reinforcing fluency by
continuing its use as the medium of instruction through all levels of
education, ultimately including tertiary education (this is a
"hopefully" - you can complete university degrees in New Zealand
through the medium of Maori, but this doesn't always nessecarily
follow secondary education, especially depending on the structure of
the tertiary education system in the particular country).

Mark

----------

From: Te Mâl <aksjetemal at yahoo.de>
Subject: language politics

Sie haben geschrieben:

---One might suggest including German versions of these messages, since
Germany is the other country with indigenous Frisian populations and North
Germans are among the few populations outside the Netherlands that even know
what the word "Frisian" means.

Machen wir natürlich gerne:

Liebe Leute,
die Bürgerinitiative Te Mâl ist wütend wegen des neuen Kulturabkommens
zwischen der Provinzverwaltung von Friesland und der niederländischen
Regierung. Darin sind Veränderungen festgelegt, die mit dem Wünsch des
Provinzparlaments, die Gleichwertigkeit von Friesisch und Holländisch zu
erhalten, streitig sind. Wir haben unseren Wut in einem Brief ans
Provinzparlament geäussert. Sie finden den Brief und Pressenachrichten auf
Friesisch und Holländisch auf unserer HP www.temal.tk.

Aksjegroep Te Mâl
foarsitter Elbrecht Claus

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Folks,

There are some great views, observations and suggestion being discussed
here.  However, it seems to me that nothing can truly be implemented until
the various governments are willing to do so, and to bring this about, the
voters must truly want them to and must express this at the ballot boxes and
in campaigns.  Success in Wales is not due to a minority-minded, benevolent
spirit having suddenly overcome public servants at Whitehall and Cardiff but
to true efforts having been made by the people of Wales, including political
campaigns.

Much is being said about the hostile attitudes of France, to a degree also
of Italy and Greece, regarding minority language rights.  But let's face it:
at least their politicians are honest and outspoken about their views
(albeit because of their self-righteously hierarchical and nationalistic
mindsets).  What I find more insidious are those administrations that pay
lip-service to the European Language Charter but in reality find it stupid,
unnecessary and dangerous and thus have no intention of supporting actual
implementation, might even sabotage such efforts more or less secretly.
(And aren't budgetary problems the ideal cover story?)  This is much more
difficult to deal with, and it is a recipe for disaster in conjunction with
wide-spread apathy, complacency, naïvité and ignorance, which is what the
naysayers' camps count on.  Awareness through education is thus of vital
importance.  Without it you can moan and groan until you're blue in the face
without most of the concerned people even really understanding what you are
going on about.

There are numerous examples.  Among the latest are German state universities
not supporting continuation of "Low German" (Low Saxon) studies, and the
Netherlands government being unsupportive of minority language rights,
listening to the Dutch-only organization Onse Taal and trying to turn back
the clock.

Just take a look at today's news from Eurolang
(http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4987) to get a taste.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

***

<quote>

In yet another display of French contempt towards linguistic diversity,
Senator Gérard Longuet stated that learning Catalan “has no interest at all”.
Another senator, Hugues Portelli, coordinator for the Erasmus Exchange
Programme at the University Paris II, assured that “the French students’
stay in Barcelona is aimed at learning the language of the country - Spain”.
He went further by saying that “we have been forced to forbid students to do
the exchange programme in Barcelona, since the university courses are being
done in Catalan”.

</quote>

<quote>

In an interview with the German daily “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” on
Tuesday, Czech president Vaclav Klaus rejected a gesture of goodwill towards
members of the remaining German minority in the Czech Republic.

Mr Klaus said that “this was not a topic of discussion in the Czech Republic
today”.

[...]

In the interview Mr Klaus also rejected the European constitution, which
includes a clause on the protection of minorities. He repeated his often
expressed point of view that the constitution will seriously limit the
“sovereignity of Europe’s nation states”. During a panel discussion in
Berlin recently President Klaus called the European unification process
“artificial”.

</quote>

<quote>

End of Low German department at the University of Göttingen What has been
feared for so long has now finally come true: after 50 years of existence,
the Department of Low German at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen in
Lower Saxony has shut down. The commentary to the courses for the summer
semester starting on 1 April 2005 reads: “Due to the financial constraints
of the federal state government, the philosophy faculty sees itself forced
to close down the department of Low German Language and Literature of the
Seminar for German Philology in 2005. From the summer semester 2005 new
matriculations will no longer be possible for the masters subject Low German
Philology.”

Prof Dr Dieter Stellmacher who has held the chair in Low German in Göttingen
since 1976, will be an emeritus professor this year and the chair will not
be replaced after that.

“Göttingen was the only university in Germany that offered Low German
philology as an independent discipline and where Low German can be studied
as a full-value major subject”, says Dr Reinhard Goltz, spokesman of the
Federal Council for Low German from INS, the Institute for Low German, to
Eurolang.

“At other universities Low German is merely integrated into another subject,
usually German studies; it is not secured structurally at all into studies”,
he adds.

Low German studies are not only threatened at Göttingen University, but also
nationwide, a process which Prof Dr Jan Wirrer, Chairman of the Society for
Low German linguistic research, sees as connected with current budget
cutting trends in higher education policy, resulting in the threat to Low
German philology.

“It’s a fact – and the process in Göttingen gives a clear example – that all
prospective posts that will become available in the future will be under
threat”, Prof Wirrer recently said in a press release.

There used to be six universities with a chair for Low German. They no
longer exist in Greifswald and Münster. There are chairs in Hamburg and
Rostock. In Kiel the chair may be renewed this coming winter semester.

At the end of February, the Parliament of the Land of Lower Saxony adopted a
resolution for the support of Low German at schools and universities and to
maintain at least one chair for Low German language and literature in Lower
Saxony. The move is also in compliance with the obligations the Land has
committed itself to under the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages.

However, Prof. Wirrer says that “the Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages is a politically blunt instrument that is mentioned once over
Sunday dinner, but is not used as a guiding principle for political action”.
Despite this criticism Prof. Wirrer hopes that the Charter’s implementation
will be more than just lip service.

One of the chief and most severe problems remains the lack of qualified
teachers. “The schools urgently need qualified teachers that are capable of
conveying language and culture in a way that the outcome is greater than
merely the accidental chanting of songs or the participation in reading
competitions“, said Prof. Wirrer, adding that, “philology as a companion of
current linguistic and cultural processes is indispensable to a language
community. However, the end of all this is looming in Lower Saxony.”
(Eurolang © 2005)

</quote>

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