Sprachpolitik
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This chapter explores the Linguistic Landscape of six medium-size towns in the Baltic States with regard to languages of tourism and to the role of English and Russian as linguae francae. A quantitative analysis of signs and of tourism web sites shows that, next to the state languages, English is the most dominant language. Yet, interviews reveal that underneath the surface, Russian still stands strong. Therefore, possible claims that English might take over the role of the main lingua franca in the Baltic States cannot be maintained. English has a strong position for attracting international tourists, but only alongside Russian which remains important both as a language of international communication and for local needs.
Other than linguistic laymen, most linguists avoid Statements concerning the general state of a language or its future. Despite some theoretical scruples, I shall, after some assessing comments on present German, make speculations on the further development of this language. Three scenarios of possible States of the German language at the end of this Century will be sketched and discussed in comparison. These speculations are but plausible considerations based on observations of the Contemporary language. In view of the looming partial loss of domains of German and other European Standard languages, I will then discuss how the further development of German can be positively influenccd within the context of multilingual Europe.