Internationale Kulturwissenschaften
International Cultural Studies
Etudes culturelles internationales

Sektion X: Mehrsprachigkeit: Regionen, "Nationen", Multikulturalität, Interkulturalität, Transkulturalität

Section X:
Multilingualism: Regions, "Nations", Multiculturalism, Interculturalism and Transculturalism

Section X:
Plurilinguisme: régions, "nations", multiculturalité, interculturalité, transculturalité


Bojan-Ilija Schnabl (Wien - Bruxelles)

German 

French 
Communication Problems for Lesser Used Languages in Discourse of European Integration

(Abridged version of the lecture at the UNESCO within the Conference on International Cultural Studies in Paris, 15.-19.9.1999)

 

The European discourse on the cultural and linguistic diversity is one of the fundamental aspects of the European integration, although it has never achieved the same pragmatical importance as the economy.

The European discourse on the cultural and linguistic diversity and especially on communication problems for lesser used languages has a deep importance when one is considering the great efforts to give to the French language its due position in the world or if one considers the concerns to give to a cultural value, such as the high quality book, a fair chance in the free market in one of the biggest European languages markets which is the German one.

This discourse is fundamentally positive and orientated towards future. But it has to be led in a different way within the bigger and within the smaller languages, it has to be very differentiated and open, and that makes it especially complicated. This discourse is essential for the democratic development of the European integration as well as for the long term promotion of human resources, but - and in this resides the qualitative difference - this discourse is vital for the preservation and positive development of the lesser used languages in Europe.

 

I.) Some fundamentalI communication problems of lesser used languages

Identity, the way to conceive one’s view of the world, cognitive capacity

a) Within the frame on reflections about multiple identities, the language forms not only our thinking it is also a central element of our identity, also if it is not the only one. Speakers of dominant languages do not realise this in the same way than speakers of lesser used and/or not dominant languages.

b) The subjective view of the world, the historical, the social and geographical identity and sense of self-esteem and the identity as a such are linked with one’s perception of history - which often are related to taboos and the way they have been transmitted.

c) These subjective identities form the frame of our cognitive capacities and openness i.e. the receptivity for the intercultural dialogue and the acceptance of minority rights; this is especially relevant in relation to those ethnic groups, which cause a certain feeling of being concerned (for instance minorities in their own country; one concedes much easier specific fundamental rights to the ones from countries far away).

d) European endeavours based on article 151 of the Amsterdam Treaty to promote the knowledge on history and culture under neighbouring peoples - and by that not only those nations with an own state - (such as common teaching matters or exchange programmes) appear under the view of deep conditionings even more necessary, because unbalanced (cultural, historical etc.) identities can easily be (mis-) used as an instrument of manipulation for xenophobe currents. Especially lesser used languages or historically oppressed people usually still have no institutionalised possibilities to be taken into consideration in the teaching matters of the majority population. Their presence in the school-books would certainly contribute in many cases and in the long term to foster the acceptance for integration policies.

 

Charter for minorities

The tedious processes of drawing and ratification of the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as well as of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, both made within the Council of Europe, show clearly how long the processes of learning on the social level are and that it takes long till they are taken for granted in society and are a indisputable part of the human rights what strengthens the tolerance towards the other.

 

Denied Identities

Amin Maalouf deepens in his book "Identités meurtrières" reflections on identity. According to this, the only fact to be forced to deny its own cultural identity because of a generalised social or political pressure leads to disorders of the personality, to severe traumas and to corresponding reactions and compensations. According to Paul Parin they generate themselves over several generations - that means over the proper linguistic assimilation process - and are internalised in a very strong way by children according to most recent studies. One has to consider being a part of the constraint of assimilation also a low social prestige of a language, the denial or rejection of the historical identity of a culture or the politically purposive use of structural processes of supplanting via the relevance of a language. Idealistic views of historical politics in language matters mainly do not sustain at least such a test.

 

Burdens of the past

A good many social developments from the past are a burden for the capacity to have an open discourse on integration. The autochthonous linguistic and cultural diversity of the EU-Member States has been treated in a very different way from region to region.

One has to include in these reflections also the 13 million workers, which have been "imported" in western Europe during the 60ties and 70ties from third countries especially from the Maghreb and Turkey.

 

Potential of the diversity

The European Minorities and lesser used languages are a particular mental potential for Europe, especially also as a catalyst of creative processes within the majority populations. They have to develop special capacities and a special creativity in order to persist in the society; as well as the socially oppressed group of women they can generate a socially relevant added value.

Reflections on the effects of the liberal social and economic model might be interesting in this context, how they influence the individual and how language groups. The European discourse gives partly responses to this very differentiated views.

 

II.) The European discourse

Mainstreaming

Already the Escudero-Report 1996 of the European Parliament on the consideration of cultural aspects in European Community actions proposed in the logic of the European development a mainstreaming for cultural questions.

 

Several examples of big language communities show how even more important a legally obligatory mainstreaming for lesser used languages would be; one example is the German-Austrian conflict with the European Commission on fixing the prizes on books or an other example is the discussions on the repercussions of the GATT on the cultural work in Europe.

 

Vivianne Reding, EU-Commissioner for culture and education

The following question has been forwarded to the nominee Commissioner for culture Vivianne Reding within the European Parliament’s hearings of the new Commission:

"European regional and minority languages are part of the European cultural heritage in a continent that is characterised less by the unity than by the diversity of its cultures. Bearing in mind, for example, the proposal that 2001 be designated European Year of Languages, how can the Commission act to safeguard that heritage, sometimes threatened as it is?"

Reding’s response:

"In my opinion, promotion of European linguistic diversity is one of the essential conditions for the affirmation of European citizenship. This also applies to regional and minority languages which are used on a daily basis by over 40 million Community nationals. In response to an initiative launched by the European Parliament, the Commission has taken measures to safeguard and promote minority languages. Since 1981, the EP has been formulating a series of proposals and resolutions on this matter. From 1983, budget appropriations were made available to the Commission earmarked for the measures by it to assist these language communities. The amount entered against this item has increased from ECU 100 000 in 1983 to ECU 4 m in 1999. The Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and the Intergroup on Minority Languages have been closely monitoring the measures taken.
     For this reason, I intended to present to the Commission a proposal for a multiannual programme for the development of the European dimension in education through the learning, promotion and dissemination of regional and/or minority languages.
     This autumn I intend to present to the Commission a proposal for a decision as soon as possible concerning the European Year of Languages.
     This will be a proposal for a decision to be adopted by the Council and the Parliament in accordance with the co-decision procedure. Parliament will therefore have the possibility of making its position known.
     European Year of Languages, which is being organised in close cooperation with the Council of Europe, should help to make citizens more aware of the linguistic diversity of the European Union and encourage them to learn more languages throughout their lives. Learning languages is of capital importance for the construction of the European Union and, in particular, for the free movement of persons and communication between them. In addition, knowledge of languages is an important factor for recruitment and for the competitiveness of companies, together with the European economy as a whole.
     Various texts adopted by the European Parliament and the Council indicate that, as far as possible, all citizens should know two European Union languages in addition to their own."

 

Subsidiarity

The subsidiarity can represent a special challenge for the regional and minority languages. which in principle is considered as a pillar of the vicinity to the citizen. Here as well, the EU discourse on integration can be made only in a very differentiated way, depending how the regional and/or minority languages are integrated in an institutionalised way into the decision making processes of their region or their State. The linguistic minorities do not have access to many essential mechanisms of promoting and subsiding on the EU level where the political structures do not include them in the political structures.

 

EU-Programmes

Specific problems for lesser used languages do often appear within the integration discourse just because of the dimension of the European integration, the number of concerned States and the number of their inhabitants, the number of languages implicated and the different number of their speakers, the critical demographic masses, which are often relevant in "international" relations as well as the simple conditions for participation in the EU-programmes and actions, which have different implications on smaller communities as on bigger ones, the existing financial and human resources as well as the necessary administrative necessities for their handling. All that also requires special sensibilities and comprehension for the needs and difficulties of smaller communities, which, as we have seen it above, are entirely able to make their contribution to the majority society.

Some demographic and financial arguments of the European Commission may partly have been conceivable within the endeavours of integration the Central and Eastern European applicant states (CEES) into the EU-programmes for education, which might be taken here as an example.

The initial proposal of the Commission on promoting the knowledge of foreign languages in the CEES was namely limited to the current official languages of the EU-15. But this would introduce into the cultural diversity the extremely problematic demographic competition. The European Parliament (EP) therefore amended this proposal and included the current official languages of the CEES (as there is also a need of intercommunication within the CEES and as these languages have already now the status of a (minority) or official language in the EU) and it included also other languages such as the Romanes (Gypsy).

 

Cultural enlargement of the EU

The enlargement of the EU is one of the main political domains of the EU where the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the EP tried to avoid within its contributions some errors of the past. In its opinion to the Agenda 2000, which gives the political frame for the enlargement policy, he

"points out [paragraph 19] that an essential factor in Europe's long-term global competitiveness is maintaining cultural diversity, neglect of which leads to social tensions. Such cultural diversity is, moreover, an essential contribution to positive regional and social development. In that connection, the special socio-cultural situation of minorities and smaller ethnic groups must be taken into account, since they are particularly exposed to economic and migratory pressures".

 

Institutional questions

The question of the languages in the frame of the enlargement is not definitively solved yet. Till now, in principal, every single language of a EU Member State is also a working language of the EP with the exception of Gaelic and Lezembourgish. On one hand, a continuation of this regime would lead to a multiplication of the costs for interpretation and translation, on the other, the structure of competence is so wide, that it participates almost directly in creating national legislation. To restrict the number of working languages would mean to leave the national legislation to a multilingual élite, which is extremely problematic seen the necessity to develop and foster democratic patterns of thinking and acting, both in East and West (!) Europe.

Viviane Reding, EU-Commissioner for education to this point in the above mentioned EP-hearing:

"[…] all of the MEPs must be able to express themselves and receive official documents in their own language. More generally, every citizen must continue to have the right to address the Institutions in one of the official languages and to receive an answer in that language."

It will be also necessary to find within the frame of up to a maximum of 700 Members of the EP (MEP), as it is postulated in the Treaties, a balance between the demographic-democratic element and the necessity to represent adequately the cultural and linguistic diversity on the political level.

 

Working lanuages of the Council

The most recent German-Finish conflict on working languages within the EU-Council on the use of German as a working language in the (informal) meetings of the Council, shows clearly, how important and relevant it is, to carry on the discourse on cultural diversity in Europe and to its chances of development in future and not consider it as an acquis. The argument of the demographic power is inconsistent in this context not only with legal arguments but also with the fact, that this institution represents the governments of the 15 equal Member States.

 

Conclusion

The European discourse on cultural and linguistic is fundamentally positive and orientated toward the future of an integrated and democratic Europe and is not an end in itself nor a clutch on the past. But it has to be led in a different way within the bigger and within the smaller languages, it has to be very differentiated and open, and in that resides often a certain understandable malaise on all sides, even in the different political and regional lobbies, which will have to rethink their traditional points of view and preferences.

Because Vienna 1900, Paris, New York or London would not be and could not become those outstanding cultural centres as we know them, without the cultural contributions of their immigrants and their multi-cultural "Hinterland" or background. The very positive European discourse on cultural diversity, which is not or should at least not be limited to the four or five "big" European languages, was carried, to give a structural and real chance to develop breeding ground of diversity, human rights and democracy.



Internationale Kulturwissenschaften
International Cultural Studies
Etudes culturelles internationales

Sektion X: Mehrsprachigkeit: Regionen, "Nationen", Multikulturalität, Interkulturalität, Transkulturalität

Section X:
Multilingualism: Regions, "Nations", Multiculturalism, Interculturalism and Transculturalism

Section X:
Plurilinguisme: régions, "nations", multiculturalité, interculturalité, transculturalité

© INST 1999

Institut zur Erforschung und Förderung österreichischer und internationaler Literaturprozesse

 Research Institute for Austrian and International Literature and Cultural Studies

 Institut de recherche de littérature et civilisation autrichiennes et internationales