Latvian stands firm against Russian. (Specific Languages) Language Learning Forum

Latvian stands firm against Russian.
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Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages	( Topic Closed)

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Chronos
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Message 25 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:10am | IP Logged

Industry does pollute, and it has the capacity to be damaging. The scale to which it occurred in Latvia (and the other Baltic States, Estonia in particular), was enormous.
Latvians have a very close connection to the land. In some ways it is spiritual (in the case of Dievturība, aspecific religion), but it is a very deep cultural connection. Many Latvian folks songs talk about the Daugava River or the Baltic Sea. It is more than just harming an ecosystem. Real cultural "icons" were harmed.

The Livonian language was concentrated on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The particular epicenter of Livonian language was destroyed when Soviet industrial and military projects were built there. Once these projects began the Livonian speaking villages and towns were destroyed. The rights to fish in those waters were also revoked by the Soviets (Livonians made their living by fishing). Because of the destruction of the homes and their lifestyle they were forced to move. Since then the Livonian language has suffered immensely.

The Livonian language is protected by Latvian law. Livonian language research has also been funded by the government.

Russification was a process of changing the national identity of non-Russians to an identity culturally similar to that of the Russians. The policy of several Soviet regimes promoting Russian as the national language of the Soviet Union. Russian was given equal and official status with local languages in all non-Russian republics; it was made the official language of state and diplomatic affairs, in the armed forces, and on postage stamps, currency, and military and civilian decorations.

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Марк
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Russian Federation
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Message 26 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:20am | IP Logged

The policy of several Soviet regimes promoting Russian as the national language of the
Soviet Union. Russian was given equal and official status with local languages in all
non-Russian republics; it was made the official language of state and diplomatic affairs,
in the armed forces, and on postage stamps, currency, and military and civilian
decorations.

What did they have to do, to use fifteen languages there similteniously? Or to use only
Latvian there? The Soviet Union needed a coomon language and only Russian could become
it.
Now English is used everywhere now. Are you satisfied with that?

Edited by Марк on 20 February 2012 at 6:21am
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Chronos
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Message 27 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:30am | IP Logged

I apologize. I did not make myself as clear as I should have.

My point in mentioning Russification was that it was detrimental to the Latvian language and cultural.

Why the Soviet government engaged in it makes sense from their point of view. It is hard to govern a variety of states without a common language. Unfortunately the occupation was illegal, and therefore they had no right to govern those type of matters.

Edited by Chronos on 20 February 2012 at 6:31am
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Merv
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Message 28 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:42am | IP Logged

Chronos wrote:

I believe that the Referendum being rejected was a good thing.

It is true that Russians make up a relatively substantial percentage of the population in Latvia; however,
citizenship can be obtained by those ethnic Russians if they pass a Latvian language and history exam.

You cannot say "because there are many Russians in Latvia, the Russian language/culture is Latvian
language/culture". The reason there are so many Russians in Latvia is because of the illegal occupation of Latvia
by the USSR and the Russification that followed it. The Russians were hired by the Latvian SSR to fuel the Soviet
industrial machine (a machine that would go on to destroy ecosystems, pollute rivers, and more). This was the
government that had been set up after Latvia was illegally occupied.

The process of Russification attempted to erode and destroy Latvian culture and language. The Livonian dialect is
near extinction, and the blame for that rests almost solely at the feet of the occupiers.

The Soviets did a great deal of damage. In some ways it is no small miracle that the Latvian
culture/language/song was able to survive the behemoth that was the Soviet machine.

You must understand, that in Soviet times Latvians had very little to call their own. They had very little to cling to
in terms of cultural identity. The Latvian language sustained those in Latvia (and the Diaspora) during the
occupation. In many cases it was all they had left.

Latvians treasure their language and their songs.

If you undermine the language, you undermine the culture.

Would you support having German as an official language if there were still a large Baltic German population
around?
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Merv
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Message 29 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:44am | IP Logged

Марк wrote:

I don't understand the mentality that feels that a large multiethnic country with one clearly dominant (by
population size) ethnic group should not have some sort of common language for inter-ethnic use. It's just a
practical question.
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Марк
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Russian Federation
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Speaks: Russian*

Message 30 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:47am | IP Logged

But maybe the Lavian government can be more generous and allow the
Russian language to get at least regional status?

Edited by Марк on 20 February 2012 at 6:48am
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Chronos
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Message 31 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:55am | IP Logged

There never was a very large Baltic German population in the Baltic States.

Latvia had somewhere between 5-8% (depends what data you use) Baltic Germans, but that was in the late 1800s early 1900s. The Baltic Germans for the most part were completely gone after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Those that were in the region before 1920 (when Latvia gained independence) and stayed (very few) did get full Latvian, Lithuanian, or Estonian citizenship.

I don't know if I could consider 5% a large portion. The Baltic-Germans who still live in the region are citizens and do speak the respective languages of the nation (like I said though, the number of Baltic-Germans living in the Baltic region is very very low now).

The relationship between Baltic-Germans and Balts is quite good. Some of the Baltic-Germans fought alongside their Balt countrymen again the Russians.

Edited by Chronos on 20 February 2012 at 6:56am
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Марк
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Russian Federation
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Message 32 of 91

20 February 2012 at 6:57am | IP Logged

The relationship between Baltic-Germans and Balts is quite good.
They were not good before the WWII.

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