LL-L "Diversity" 2006.02.28 (01) [E]

Tue Feb 28 15:59:38 UTC 2006

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28 February 2006 * Volume 01
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From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Diversity" 2006.02.27 (05) [E]

Tom Carty wrote:
"I agree wholeheartedly with what is said here. In Ireland we have a lot -
120,000 Polish, as many more Lithuanians, and as many more from other Slav
states, added to the 100,000 or so refugee applicants (including the remnant
1000 or so of the 16000 Roma refugess from across Europe) - thats 340,000
aliens in two years, in a nation of 3.5 million (excluding Northern
Ireland)."

There's no need to exclude the north of Ireland in all this. Poles, 
Lithuanians, Filipinos, Latvians, Timorese, Chinese and Brazilians (amongst 
others) have all arrived in the last five to ten years in similar proportion 
to down south. We are two parts of the same island and economy, after all.

>From the point of view of minority language provision, there is a Polish 
mass held regularly here in Derry, and in east Tyrone (a centre of the 
Lusophone communities) one can find Portuguese public! signage in 
council-run buildings.

It's not much, but it's a start.

Go raibh maith agat,

Críostóir.

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From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Diversity" 2006.02.27 (01) [E]

Helge Tietz wrote:
"I am wondering where current trends in Germany and also here in the 
Netherlands might lead to because there are calls in for children being 
forced to speak German only also during lesson breaks etc."

Children will use whatever language they want during break times and in the 
home. Despite the bluster and rhetoric, there is no way the state can 
enforce such linguistic prescription.

It can only make speakers so inferior about their languages that they 
themselves elect to speak the majority language during their leisure time, 
as was done with Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, et al in the eighteenth, 
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Go raibh maith agat,

Críostóir.

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

Hi, Críostóir!  Good to "see" you.  I knew that *something* would entice you 
back out of the woodwork eventually.

Folks, as communication technology keeps making enormous strides, economic 
globalization is becoming unstoppable, political borders are growing softer 
and softer and look like melting, dual- and multi-citizenships are becoming 
commonplace, and *all* countries are becoming immigration countries,* I can 
see the main challenge of the 21st century--besides environmental protection 
and creating economic equity--to be how to preserve and develop what we 
treasure in specific languages and cultures while letting go of xenophobia 
and other forms of fear-based hatred.

[* For instance, we are now witnessing the beginning of an immigration wave 
from the "West" to India, much less for spiritual reasons, as thirty and 
fourty year ago, but mostly for economic reasons. And look at Ireland: 
emigration country only yesterday and immigration country today!  Not to 
mention Mexico ...]

It seems to me that the only way especially for smaller and less powerful 
language communities to survive and thrive under the circumstances is to 
build up a sense of self-worth and confidence (though not arrogance), to be 
linguistically and culturally steadfast and productive so as to create 
incentives for people to embrace them and immerse themselves in them, not 
only their own offspring but also the newcomers to their respective areas. 
The rapidly developing communication technology, whose supposed 
internationally homogenizing properties we often fear, can be used to 
enhance and promote diversity as well.  As far as I am concerned, it's 
mostly a matter of getting off one's backside and doing it rather than 
fretting and whining about things going to hell in a hand basket.

Just some thoughts on the matter.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron 

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