The Estonian language in Germany: An Overview of a Language in Context

Transcription

1 Working Papers in European Language Diversity 5 Kristiina Praakli The Estonian language in Germany: An Overview of a Language in Context Mainz Helsinki Wien Tartu Mariehamn Oulu Maribor

2 Working Papers in European Language Diversity is a peer- reviewed online publication series of the research project ELDIA, serving as an outlet for preliminary research findings, individual case studies, background and spin- off research. Editor- in- Chief Johanna Laakso (Wien) Editorial Board Kari Djerf (Helsinki), Riho Grünthal (Helsinki), Anna Kolláth (Maribor), Helle Metslang (Tartu), Karl Pajusalu (Tartu), Anneli Sarhimaa (Mainz), Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark (Mariehamn), Helena Sulkala (Oulu), Reetta Toivanen (Helsinki) Publisher Research consortium ELDIA c/o Prof. Dr. Anneli Sarhimaa Northern European and Baltic Languages and Cultures (SNEB) Johannes Gutenberg- Universität Mainz Jakob- Welder- Weg 18 (Philosophicum) D Mainz, Germany Contact: eldia- project@uni- mainz.de European Language Diversity for All (ELDIA) ELDIA is an international research project funded by the European Commission. The views expressed in the Working Papers in European Language Diversity are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. All contents of the Working Papers in European Language Diversity are subject to the Austrian copyright law. The contents may be used exclusively for private, non- commercial purposes. Regarding any further uses of the Working Papers in European Language Diversity, please contact the publisher. ISSN Working Papers in European Language Diversity 5

3 During the initial stage of the research project ELDIA (European Language Diversity for All) in 2010, "structured context analyses" of each speaker community at issue were prepared. These context analyses will act as a starting point for further deepened research by linguists, sociologists and lawyers. Thus, they will form the basis of further case- specific reports and the comparative report which will be the main outcome of the whole project. However, as these will be available for interested readers only at the end of the project, we wanted to publish shorter versions summarising our work so far already at this stage, thus providing up- to- date information for both the academic community and stakeholder groups. This paper, based on the context analysis by Kristiina Praakli, gives a brief and up- to- date overview of the status of and research about the Estonian language in Germany. As all papers appearing in the series Working Papers in European Language Diversity, these context analyses have been subject to an anonymous peer- reviewing process. Whenever the present document is referred to, due reference to the author and the ELDIA project should be made. For more information about the ELDIA project see project.org/.

4 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION: ESTONIAN- SPEAKERS IN GERMANY SOCIO- POLITICAL CONTEXT CULTURAL CONTEXT LANGUAGE GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE LANGUAGE CONTACT AND MULTILINGUALISM LANGUAGE USE AND MAINTENANCE SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY... 9

5 The Estonian language in Germany 1 1 Introduction: Estonian- speakers in Germany Estonians in Germany represent more recent allochthonous groups. They are not an officially recognised minority. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 4,394 Estonian citizens were living in Germany in 2010 (Statistisches Bundesamt : 31). Compared to the other language groups in Germany, the Estonian- speaking minority is very small (see Ausländerzahlen 2009: 15 2 ). No information is available on Estonians in Germany before World War II. According to Hill Kulu, the Estonian community was probably not very large, perhaps numbering a few hundred (Kulu 1992). World War II ( ) brought about a massive flight of Estonians to Western Europe. Various sources have estimated the total number of refugees to have been about 70,000 80, 000 people (see Tammaru et al. 2010: 40). On 1 st October 1946, there were 31,221 Estonian refugees in Germany. Most of the Estonians who reached Germany were placed in DP (Displaced Persons, technically the same as refugees ) camps: 16,688 in the US zone (including Berlin), 13,698 in the British zone and 835 in the French zone. The largest camp of Estonians was situated in Geislingen (the US zone in southern Germany, established in 1945, with 5,500 inhabitants). There were many intellectuals, artists and scientists among the refugees. At the end of World War II, nationals of European countries in the DP camps did not wish to return to their homelands because of the unfavourable political situation. On 1 st July 1947 the IRO (International Refugee Organization) started to resettle war refugees from Germany. 27,096 Estonian refugees emigrated from Germany during with the support of the IRO: 5,150 to Europe, 4,118 to Canada, 10,992 to the US, 617 to South America, 6,149 to the Pacific countries (Australia, Philippines, New Zealand), 10 to Asia, 35 to Africa, and 25 to other countries. It is estimated that after the end of World War II, following a wave of 1 Statistisches Bundesamt Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit. Ausländische Bevölkerung Ergebnisse des Ausländerzentralregisters; entlichungen/bevoelkerung/migrationintegration/auslaendbevoelkerung ,property=file.pdf. 2 anlage- teil- 2- auslaend ezahlen.pdf? blob=publicationfile.

6 The Estonian language in Germany 2 emigration of refugees from Germany, 4,000 6,000 Estonians remained in West Germany. The largest Estonian community (35% of all Estonians in Germany) existed in Bavaria (Bayern), while others were dispersed across all the other regions. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 6,000 7,000 citizens of the former Soviet Union were living in Germany during The statistics do not specify how many of these people were Estonians. Immigration from Estonia to Germany resumed after the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991). According to Statistics Germany, most residents with Estonian citizenship are women (68.9%). 3 Today s Estonian migrants in Germany and their descendants form a very heterogeneous group. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, immigration to Germany has had various different reasons, such as working in Germany, studying in a German university, or marriage to a German citizen. However, dividing Estonian migrants into different subgroups is problematic, as there is no systematic research into the different motivations for immigration, and it seems that the migrants do not categorise themselves or define their identity on this basis. However, it should be noted that the German official statistics available to the public do not include such indicators as native language, which would help specify the number of ethnic Estonians. The citizenship- based (Staatsangehörigkeit) statistics most likely overrepresent the number of Estonians in Germany. Based on the emigration behaviour of Estonian citizens it may be assumed that Estonian citizens include people both of other native languages (e.g. Russian, Ukrainian, German) and other ethnic backgrounds. Official statistics do not include data on the native languages of individuals, which would allow the comparison of the numbers of Estonian citizens and native Estonian- speakers. It is also unclear how many people of Estonian origin or former Estonian citizenship are German citizens and how many of the former Soviet Union citizens originate from Estonia. German Estonians cannot be considered to have their own geographic territory. Although Estonians are spread all over the country, most are concentrated in the vicinity of the capital 3 entlichungen/bevoelkerung/migrationintegration/auslaendbevoelkerung ,property=file.pdf

7 The Estonian language in Germany 3 (Berlin) and other larger cities. Most of the Estonian citizens live in or near the large cities (Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin). Data also shows that the Estonian community is the largest (822 persons) in Nordrhein- Westfalen (capital Düsseldorf), followed by 718 in Baden- Württemberg (Stuttgart), 615 in Bavaria (Munich), 371 in Hessen (Wiesbaden), 354 in Niedersachsen, and 309 in Hamburg. 345 Estonian citizens live in Berlin. 4 Women are dominant in all of these Länder (federal states). The Federal Statistical Office data (2010) shows that Estonian citizens in Germany are relatively young: about 1/3 of them are in the age group (1,591 persons), followed by the age group (928 persons) and age group (536 persons) 5. Women are dominant in all the age groups of working- age people (20 65 years). Specific ethnonyms are lacking for Estonians. Those Estonians who emigrated to Germany after 1991 identify themselves as Estonians who live in Germany or Estonians of Germany. They call their language Estonian or Estonian with some German influence. 2 Socio- political Context Estonians in Germany are not officially recognised as an ethnic group. With regard to the Estonian minority in Germany, there is neither specific legislation for this group, nor research in this field. Estonians in Germany have not established their national political representation either. Standard German is stipulated by law as the official language of administration and the judiciary (Administrative Procedure Act, Sec 23) and there are no specific language laws or language- related laws with regard to new minorities in Germany. On 1 st May 2004, Estonia became a member state of the European Union. The main legal frameworks related to EU- citizens residing in Germany are the Freedom of Movement 4 Statistisches Bundesamt Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit. Ausländische Bevölkerung Ergebnisse des Ausländerzentralregisters; Ausländische Bevölkerung am nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Ländern, s Statistisches Bundesamt Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit. Ausländische Bevölkerung Ergebnisse des Ausländerzentralregisters; Ausländische Bevölkerung am nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Altersgruppe, s ; entlichungen/bevoelkerung/migrationintegration/auslaendbevoelkerung ,property=file.pdf.

8 The Estonian language in Germany 4 Act/EU, Immigration Act and the Education Laws of each state ((Bundes)land). The legal status of citizens from European Union member states is defined in the Freedom of Movement Act/EU. This Act regulates entry into and residence in the Federal territory by nationals of other member states of the European Union (EU citizens) and their dependents. European Union free movement of workers principles require that all Member State citizens have the right to solicit and obtain work in Germany free from discrimination on the basis of citizenship. However, it has been limited by the transition period imposed by Germany (presumably until 31 st May 2011) on citizens of the countries that acceded to the European Union in 2004 (Estonia included). The accession agreement of 2003 allowed the Member States to impose restrictions on labour force from countries that acceded to the EU on 1 st May 2004 (with the exception of Cyprus and Malta) for a maximum of 7 years. During the transition period, the Member States may require a work permit of the new Member States citizens and impose conditions on the issue of these permits. Educational legislation and administration of the educational system are primarily the responsibility of the Länder. As a rule, German is also the language of instruction and training in general education and vocational schools as well as institutions of higher education. Nevertheless, schools offer various programmes for children and young people with migrant backgrounds to support their integration into German schools and society. One of the options is bilingual classes, which are conducted both in the native language and German. Yet, at this moment there are no Estonian classes in primary education. There are no schools in Germany that work with an Estonian curriculum. Consequently, Estonian- origin children attend state schools. Teaching Estonian for children with Estonian backgrounds in Germany started anew in 2005 in Hamburg and 2007 in Munich (these are both self- financed Saturday schools). There is no data on political controversies or conflicts, neither on the status and the overt discrimination of the group. Further, there is also no recent research on the attitudes of the German majority towards the Estonian minority group, especially towards those Estonians who migrated to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, there is some research on earlier attitudes towards displaced persons, including Estonians, during and

9 The Estonian language in Germany 5 after WWII (see Pletzing 2007), and also some autobiographical sources (e.g. books by Elin Toona). 3 Cultural Context The maintenance of Estonian, publishing Estonian literature, establishment of an Estonian press, singing in Estonian choirs, the tradition of arranging Estonian song festivals, participation in the scout and guide movement, have been mentioned as the most important symbols of Estonian identity in exile. Yet, Estonians in Germany do not have their own cultural institutions, such as theatres, museums, libraries or publishing houses. Associations and clubs (mostly on voluntary bases) for different cultural activities, however, do exist. In 1952, the core of the Estonians remaining in Germany established a Germany- wide organisation called the Estonian Society in the Federal Republic of Germany (EÜSL, The main objective of the activity of the EÜSL is to support and promote Estonian culture in Germany. Their activities include arranging and supporting different cultural events, publishing the Estonian newspaper Eesti Rada (Estonian Path), arranging Lutheran services in Estonian, supporting elderly Estonian people and Estonian students residing in Germany. Traditional events that are celebrated, and organised by the EÜSL, are youth and children s days, Estonian culture days, Christmas, Shrove Tuesday, St. John s Day and the national holidays of the Republic of Estonia. At present, the EÜSL has seven national assemblies: in Baden- Württemberg, Bocholt, Hamburg, Cologne, Dortmund, Munich and Eastern Westphalia. In addition to the EÜSL and national assemblies, the Hamburg Estonian Academic (HEA) Society can be mentioned ( selts, established in 2003). This society organises speeches and meetings on cultural topics, movie nights, Estonian summer camps and Christmas parties. There is active co- operation with the Estonian embassy in Berlin, the Ministry of Science and Education (arranging language days, supporting the learning of Estonian) and the Integration Foundation in Estonia (arranging camps in Estonia for children of Estonian origin). About 50 people take part in events organised by the HEA Society. The events have been meant for local Estonians in particular. There has also been an Estonian

10 The Estonian language in Germany 6 choir ( since The choir arranges singing camps in Germany and Estonia, and concerts are provided in Germany and abroad. In addition to these local Estonian societies, there are several other societies connected with Estonia and the Baltic States, such as the Berlin German- Estonian Society (Deutsch- Estnische Gesellschaft Berlin e.v; berlin.de), Lüneburg German- Estonian Society (Deutsch- Estnische Gesellschaft Lüneburg), Karlsruhe German- Estonian Society (Deutsch- Estnische Gesellschaft e.v., Kiel German- Estonian Society (Deutsch- Estnische Gesellschaft e.v. Kiel), German- Estonian Society in Mid- Germany (Deutsch- Estnische Gesellschaft in Mitteldeutschland e.v.), Deutsch- Baltische Gesellschaft e.v. ( balten.de). The membership of these societies consists of Germans, Baltic Germans and Estonians. There is no data on conflicts or controversies around cultural institutions, nor research on significance of cultural activities. The most important national and cultural symbols of identity for Estonians in Germany seem to be connected to the state of Estonia, its national history and preindustrial traditional culture (however, there is no systematic research on this yet). Such symbols are the Estonian flag, the national anthem, traditional folk costumes and some traditional foods such as black bread and kama. 6 At present there are no active Estonian writers residing in Germany and writing in Estonian. The most well- known Estonian writers who have lived and worked in Germany were the poet Henrik Visnapuu ( ), the writers Pedro Krusten ( ) and Elin Toona (born 1937); all of them lived in Germany only a few years after 1944 and finally moved to the USA. Perhaps the most well- known Estonians residing in Germany are the world- famous composer Arvo Pärt (born in 1935, living in Germany since 1980), the linguist and Professor Emerita at the University of Hamburg Els Oksaar (born in 1926, in Germany since 1967) and the pianists Kalle Randalu (born in 1956) and Kristjan Randalu (born in 1978, living in Germany since 1988). 6 Kama is a mixture of different kinds of roasted flour, often considered as one of the most distinctive traditional Estonian foods. It can be eaten as a snack or breakfast cereal together with milk or buttermilk (and fruits or berries) or used as an ingredient for desserts.

11 The Estonian language in Germany 7 4 Language 4.1 General description of the language Estonian and German are completely different languages by origin. Estonian belongs to the Finnic (Baltic- Finnic) language group of the Finno- Ugric (Uralic) language family. The Finnic group is now usually divided into 10 languages: Finnish, Karelian, Ludian, Vepsian, Ingrian, Votian, Estonian, Livonian, Võro and Seto, Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish) and Kven. The relatedness of the Finnic languages and their position in the Uralic language family have been thoroughly researched since the 19th century, but many details of prehistorical developments, such as the geographic origins, localisation and dating of the diverse proto- language stages are still open to some debate. For a detailed overview of the linguistic background of Estonian, see e.g. Viitso (2003). Throughout history Estonia has been under the rule of different foreign powers and countries: Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden and Russia. The (Baltic) German nobility ruled Estonia from the 13 th until the early 20 th century. Due to historic reasons, the (Baltic) German nobility has had a long- term influence for 700 years on Estonian culture and language (especially on syntax and vocabulary), literature, architecture, economy (Estonian cities belonged to the Hanseatic League), social structure and politics. One of the most important contact languages to influence Estonian was (Low) German (in addition to Russian, Swedish and Finnish). The most clearly visible sign of German influence are hundreds of German loanwords in Estonian, usually divided into the Low German (from the 13th to the mid- 16th century) and High German (mid- 16th century onwards) stratum. There is no data on stereotypical beliefs (among the community or among others) about the Estonian language as spoken in Germany. Given the strong traditions of Estonian literacy, language education and language planning, as well as the fact that the Estonians in Germany are a fairly recent minority, it is probably self- evident that the Estonians in Germany use Standard Estonian as their literary language and have no significant problems in defining the language they use.

12 The Estonian language in Germany Language contact and multilingualism The members of the Estonian community in Germany, generally, have good command of German. In communication with other minorities, German or Russian (with the Russian- speaking minority) is used. However, Estonian and German are generally used as vehicular languages in the community. There is not much research on code- switching. The bilingual behaviour of German Estonians has been studied by Tiina Kälissaar (2010). According to Kälissaar s study (2010) the influence of German is felt most distinctly in the use of nouns and verbs which are adopted from German and inflected according to Estonian morphology, e.g. Autobahn+i+l [adessive case] on the motorway (auf der Autobahn), U- Bahn+i+ga [comitative case] with the underground (mit der U- Bahn); kas sul on reis juba puhh+i+tud [passive past participle]? have you already booked (German buchen) your trip? ; ma meld+i+n end I register [1sg] myself, I let know of myself, cf. German ich melde mich ). Kälissaar s data (2010) also indicates that Estonian- German bilingual children s written Estonian is influenced by German orthography. For instance, they do not always indicate long vowels with the doubling of the letter (põsas instead of põõsas bush, ramat instead of raamat book ), or they may use German letters or letter combinations which are not used in Estonian (wanaema instead of vanaema grandmother, lechm instead of lehm cow ). The most famous Estonian- origin researcher of language acquisition in a multilingual setting is Els Oksaar, who has published various articles since Els Oksaar analysed language acquisition by preschool children. Her later research concentrates on communication in multilingual settings by Estonian and German immigrants in the US. 4.3 Language use and maintenance There is no research on loanwords and structural changes in the German Estonian variety. There is no data on the use of Estonian in different age groups. Furthermore, there is neither research on structural and lexical loss, nor on the use and maintenance of Estonian in Germany.

13 The Estonian language in Germany 9 According to Kälisaar (2010), Estonians living in Germany use German as their usual language of communication. It is also used at home when one of the spouses is German or another nationality. However, there is no detailed research in this field. The possibilities to use Estonian in education in Germany are different: there are preschool clubs for children (in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart; at the initiative of the local Estonians, and self- financed) and two Estonian Schools, in Hamburg and Munich. Note that the Estonian Schools are a voluntary extracurricular activity, usually twice a month on Saturdays, supporting the maintenance of Estonian language and identity (as mentioned in Chapter 2, there are no schools in Germany offering an Estonian curriculum). The Hamburg Estonian School was opened in 2005, restarting the teaching of Estonian in Germany (after the schools and teaching groups which had been operative in the post- WWII decades). In 2007, the Munich Estonian School became operative. Both Estonian Schools were founded at the initiative of the local Estonians; they are financed by the EÜSL and the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia (primarily with training material). The majority of the pupils are of primary school age. There are possibilities to learn Estonian in Germany in four universities: at the University of Göttingen, University of Hamburg, University of Greifswald and University of Munich. There are no TV programmes or radio broadcasts in Estonian in Germany. 5 Select Bibliography Most of the research about the Estonian minority in Germany is carried out in Estonian. There is no research in English. The Estonian- speaking communities in Germany have not attracted any attention of researchers before. No research has been done, among others in the fields of multilingualism (including research on language shift and language maintenance), identity, sociology, education and language policy, media, recent migratory processes, also research on second language acquisition (except research by Els Oksaar in the 1970s). Minimal attention has been paid to the research of Estonian- speaking groups formed in Germany

14 The Estonian language in Germany 10 after the Republic of Estonia regained its independence. A review article by Tiina Kälisaar (2010) is the only one that can be mentioned. Research on Estonians in Germany concentrates mainly on World War II, which deals with the flight of Estonians to Germany, Estonian human loss in World War II and Estonians' welfare in Germany after World War II until their emigration from Germany. The most exhaustive study about German Estonians so far is the extensive historic material, DP Kroonik, collected by journalist Ferdinand Kool. Eesti pagulased Saksamaal (published 1999; engl Chronicle of DP. Estonian Refugees in Germany ). Several reviews about literature in exile, about press, theatre and schools in Germany have also been published presenting an overview of years There are also a lot of bibliographical books that mostly deal with the exodus to Germany during World War II, emigration to other countries, the foundation of Estonian schools and theatre in Germany, as well as overviews on Estonian literature, music and art in Germany from World War II until The most important works on the speaker community and language at issue: ARMBRÜSTER, GEORG. (1998) Und am Ende ist es doch geglückt. Geschichte und Gegenwart von Esten, Letten und Litauern in Berlin. Berlin: Ausländerbeauftragte des Senats. JÄRVESOO, ELMAR. (1991) Balti Ülikool Saksamaal Koguteos. Toronto: Balti Ülikooli Eesti Seltsi toimetis. KOOL, FERDINAND. (1999) DP Kroonika. Eesti pagulased Saksamaal Lakewood, New Jersey: Eesti Arhiiv Ühendriikides. KÄLISSAAR, TIINA. (2010) Eestlased ja eesti keel Saksamaal. In Kristiina Praakli & Jüri Viikberg (eds.) Eestlased ja eesti keel välismaal. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, MAASING, RICHARD. (eds.) Eesti saatusaastad IV. Poliitilised põgenikud. Stockholm: Kirjastus EMP. OKSAAR, ELS. (1987) Spracherwerb im Vorschulalter. 2., erw. Aufl. Stuttgart, Berlin, Köln, Mainz: Kohlhammer. PETERSON, ILMAR. (1956) Saksamaa eestlased. In J. Kokla et al (eds.) Eesti kroonika Esimene aastakäik. Stockholm: EMP, PLETZING, CHRISTIAN & PLETZING MARIANNE. (eds.) (2007) Displaced Persons. Flüchtlinge aus den baltischen Staaten in Deutschland. (Colloquia Baltica 12.) München: Martin Meidenbauer Verlagsbuchhandlung. RAAG, RAIMO. (2001) Läänes elevate eestlaste rahvuslik identiteet ja kultuur In Albert Bertricau (ed.) Eesti identiteet ja iseseisvus. Avita: Tallinn,

15 The Estonian language in Germany 11 RAHI- TAMM, AIGI. (2004) Inimkaotused. Teise maailmasõja järgsed massirepressioonid Eestis: allikad ja uurimisseis. Tartu: Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus. KUMER- HAUKANÕMM, KAJA & ROSENBERG, TIIT & TAMMARU, TIIT. (2006) Eestlaste lahkumine läände ning selle mõjud. 22. oktoobril 2004 Tartus toimunud rahvusvahelise teaduskonverentsi artiklite kogumik. Tartu: Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus. VIITSO, TIIT- REIN. (2003) Rise and Development of the Estonian Language. In Mati Erelt (ed.) Estonian Language. Linguistica Uralica. Supplementary Series / Volume 1. Tallinn: Estonian Academy Publishers,