"Language demarcation" in Estonian prisons

[Elena Gapova]

The purposes are most probably practical, but the way practical matters are
handled usually has a symbolic dimension as well.  It is amazing how
language competence is made "material" (i.e. visual) and a basis for an
elementary social delineation. It is also interesting how the metaphor that
pops up in everybody's head is the yellow star from WWII (I wonder if
Russian political prosoners can in any way be related to this symbolic use
of language).
e.g.

20 апреля 2012 г. 12:30 пользователь Alina Israeli
<aisrael at american.edu>написал:

> Since these are not political prisoners (I believe Estonia, unlike Russia,
> has none), I would like first to inquire if this marking has some practical
> purposes, such as having a non-Estonian speaking guard present when
> addressing these prisoners. After all I don't think Russian is any longer
> an obligatory language in Estonia.
>
> Alina Israeli
>
>   On Apr 20, 2012, at 11:38 AM, Elena Gapova wrote:
>
>   Deer SEELANGSers,
>
> I am sharing an article on "language demarcation" (is this the right
> phrase?) which was posted in an Estonian web-journal:
>
> *...некоторым заключенным на грудь добавили большую букву А, B или C. Эти
> буквы обозначали, насколько хорошо заключенные знают государственный язык.
> Русские, которые вообще не говорили по-эстонски, остались не обозначенными
> - им на грудь не повесили ничего. Те русские и заключенные других
> национальностей, которые чуть-чуть понимали по-эстонски, были обозначены
> буквой А. Заключенные, владеющие эстонским на среднем уровне, получили себе
> на грудь букву В. А эстонцам повесили на грудь букву С...*
>
> http://www.dzd.ee/815170/sutrop-oboznachat-zakljuchennyh-bukvami-po-urovnju-vladenija-jazykom-vse-ravno-chto-veshat-evrejam-zvezdu-davida/
>
> The comments to the article are also interesting.
>
> Elena Gapova
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>
>   Alina Israeli
> Associate Professor of Russian
> LFS, American University
> 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
> Washington DC 20016
> (202) 885-2387  fax (202) 885-1076
> aisrael at american.edu
>
>
>
>
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