Bilingualismus / Mehrsprachigkeit
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This chapter introduces readers to the context and concept of this volume. It starts by providing an historical overview of languages and multilingualism in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, highlighting the 100th anniversary of statehood which the three Baltic states are celebrating in 2018. Then, the chapter briefly presents important strands of research on multilingualism in the region throughout the past decades; in particular, questions about language policies and the status of the national languages (Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian) and Russian. It also touches on debates about languages in education and the roles of other languages such as the regional languages of Latgalian and Võro and the changing roles of international languages such as English and German. The chapter concludes by providing short summaries of the contributions to this book.
Even though the use of several languages has become more common in modern societies, it is important to find a common language in order to communicate economically (by the way, also with regard to economic success). So, of course, it is an advantage and a basic request in our national societies to be able to communicate by means of the national language(s). But looking a bit closer at the communicative demands of today one sees that there is a growing need to react to internal variation, and that a modern linguistic identity not only covers that fact, but also the fact, that English – in different forms – is part of a linguistic spectrum fitting a modern European communicative life. In the last years a communicative pattern is developing within an elite group of young academically educated people that is based on the use of English only, more or less ignoring the connection to the national linguistic surroundings, somehow kind of an alternative monolingualism. But looking at the communicative needs in our complex societies losing the ability to cope with different linguistic options in different communicative situations and to integrate this possibility into your linguistic identity is a rather restricted option – also in economic terms. And this even holds not taking into account the linguistic effect of modern migration.
Europäische Hochsprachen in der Klemme. Zwischen globalem Englisch, Dialekten und Regionalsprachen
(2008)
Starting from declarations of the EU, the value of European languages and their diversity according to their different territorial, social, and legal extensions are discussed. The Standard varieties of the various languages are emphasized as being especially important for national and European language policies and for individual language cultivation. They contributed and may continue to contribute more than other language varieties to the cultural wealth of Europe. On the other hand, their development is especially impaired by the increasing use of ‘global' English. The increasing tendency toward a diaglossia (English plus one other language) and the use of languages within the institutions of the EU are discussed. In conclusion, it is argued that although tolerance is necessary, it is not sufficient for a thriving further development of the European linguistic diversity.
Moderm European Science and culture evolved in the process of emancipation of various national languages from medieval Latin. At present, this development from monolingualism to multilingualism seems to be reversed in several scientific disciplines and in higher education. The former linguistic diversity turns gradually into a modern monolingualism of scientific English, especially in the natural and some social sciences. A short-term consequence is that researchers and Professors with other first languages need extra time and sometimes money to prepare their publications and lectures in English. Long-term consequences are, among others, that all languages exept English are devaluated as media of science and learning and, thus, a diglossia might develop if only English be used for the important domains and other languages be limited to the domains of private communication and folklore. The way out can only be through a cultivation of at least bilingualism of researchers, Professors, and their students in the natural sciences and trilingualism in social sciences and the humanities.