Nils Langer: Language Policies and Language Suppression...
School of Modern Languages Research Seminar Series 2010/11
Location: Old Library Building, Research Beehive, room 2.20
Time/Date: 18th November 2010, 16:00 - 17:00
...in the Nineteenth Century: Danish and German in the Duchy of Schleswig / Slesvig
Nils Langer (Bristol) will speak about Danish and German in the Duchy of Schleswig. It is well-known that in this Duchy, formerly part of Denmark, now divided with the southern part belonging to Germany, five languages live peacefully side by side: Frisian, Low German, Sønderjysk, High German, and Standard Danish (Rigskansk). The presence of these five languages has been recorded for several centuries, yet during the nineteenth century, when the concept of nation became the key reference for an individual’ or commnity’s identity, language contact turned into language conflict (Dyhr 1998).
In this paper, we will be exploring how the existence, use, and status of these languages had been manipulated during the nineteenth century to serve as both proper reason and fishy pretext to engage in intellectual dispute and military warfare. The case of multilingualism in the Duchy of Schleswig serves as an insightful example of the powers of language as a marker of identity and their functions in the creation of nation states.Published: 25th September 2010