Linguist Martin Ehala has observed that the best guarantor for Estonian language survival is its usage in new IT innovations.
Ehala remarks that “having Estonian spread throughout new infotechnological applications, including the internet and software, no matter what the source, would be the primary way of ensuring the staying power of the language.”
Ehala, a professor of Estonian didactics and applied linguistics, stressed that a danger to the language’s survival would be its isolation from new IT developments.
The creation of a new Estonian computer vocabulary should be enthusiastically welcomed. “The introduction of new words, previously unused, might seem initially strange,” he said. This might be the reason why there was a reluctance to create new Estonian language software. “We have to get over this and start using Estonian language software.”
In a Vikerradio broadcast Ehala commented on a different aspect of linguistics: “People involved in public speaking or addressing formal gatherings must adhere to correct language usage.” But, Ehala added, “This does not mean that one has to be obsessed with correctness, just as a person does not need to wear formal attire at every occasion.”
“It would be terrible if language police were to intimidate people so that, metaphorically speaking, they were forced to wear formal wear on all occasions and while sleeping. This would be the impoverishment of the Estonian language.”
Language control would inhibit people from using expressing themselves in a robust, free and unconstrained way, he noted.
How to handle obscenities? “I suggest not to read obscene books,” he offered.
Ehala claimed that language education got stuck 20 years ago when printed text was the basic mode of information exchange. “Now things have greatly advanced and Estonian language education must catch up with the times, Ehala concluded.
Viimased kommentaarid
Kommentaarid on kirjutatud EWR lugejate poolt. Nende sisu ei pruugi ühtida EWR toimetuse seisukohtadega.
Guido von Bernsdorff30 Mar 2009 09:33
The comparison is not wholly correct, as Estonian lacks the backing of a large extraterritorial community such as France is to Quebec. There is, however, one thing that Estonians could learn from the French Canadians. Their language policy, which has effectivey reduced the socio-economic dominance of English, could be copied to curb the influence of Russian in Estonia. I do not think that English is a real danger to the survival of Estonian, as long as nobody is claiming anything else than a role as a means of international communication. This role is going to become ever more important in the European Community but by far the large majority of European citizens do not want to replace the local languages with English for use on a national level. Many languages that are even "smaller" than Estonian have actually gained prominence in the public domain in recent decades. Think of Welsh, Basque, Ladin (30.000 speakers! in Northern Italy). I wouldn't worry too much about Estonian :-)
Anonüüm28 Mar 2009 07:02
In 1950, the French language was in trouble in Canada. By the year 2000, it was vibrant.
Some of this can be attributed to the work of the French language bureau in the Province of Quebec. It has developed technical vocabulary in the IT field with spectacular success which is appreciated, even in France.
Ehala is quite correct.
borek28 Mar 2009 04:38
Unfortunately, this idea is completely wrong, the only possibility to save a language is two or theefold, first you must have enough people using that language, secon these people must be able to develop things that are needed by the whole world population, so that the others must learn the language. At present time the natural system of dying out of species as well as languages supports teh English language as teh most importasnt in the world, about 25 kanguages die totaly out a year on this earth, so most probably it will be also Estonian. One might compute when some language is due, most probably based on the number of people using that lkanguage, you should tink before you come up with nonsense like this, computer will never save a language spoken by only few...........who gave you this idea????
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