Young Writers' Competition 16–18 Winner

Feature Wars on language Babel Young Writers’ Competition 16–18 winner Dong Hyun Kang is the winner of the 16–18 year-old category of Babel’s 2017 Young Writers’ Competition. Here, he looks back at forgotten tales of language change. Wars on language uring the not only against the Protestant cause have occurred throughout 17th century, religion but also, curiously, world history, particularly during Vinschgau, a against the Romansh language, times of war and conflict. sleepy valley which it characterised as a located at the Protestant language. These German in the United States footsteps of efforts not only succeeded in As an article in the Economist Dthe Italian Alps, experienced driving out Protestantism but notes, German immigrants have a curious development. also rooted out the once deeply “flavoured American culture like Historically, the region had ingrained Romansh; according cinnamon in an Apfelkuchen”. spoken Romansh, the famous to the 2001 census, 96.51% of Americans owe the Christmas Swiss language that many the population currently speaks tree and the Easter Bunny linguists fear is on the verge of German. to German-Americans who disappearing. The Protestant For the local inhabitants of imported them during the 19th Reformation had gained ground the Vinschgau valley, changing century. The hamburger, egg in the area during the previous their language from Romansh to noodles and the pretzel are also century, especially in the town German seems to have mattered American dishes with German of Burgusio, where, according a lot: the change demonstrated origins. Margarethe Schurz, a to the Historical Dictionary of their loyalty to the Catholic German-American educator, Switzerland, a pastor officially church. But is this an isolated opened the first kindergarten assumed his functions. However, incident that has little relevance in the United States in 1856, a strong backlash soon came to the rest of human history? and when the American Civil from the local Catholic church. No: in fact, instances of people War broke out, up to 200,000 The local Marienberg Abbey changing their language in order German immigrants enrolled engaged in a negative campaign to prove their loyalty to a certain to fight for the Union and 22 Babel The Language Magazine | November 2017 Feature Wars on language prove their loyalty to their new United States Donald Trump was June 1917, Congress passed country. They formed the largest known as Frederick Drumpf for the Trading with the Enemy ethnic contingent of the Union most of his life, the International Acts, which required certified army during the war and earned Business Times claims that, in English translations alongside a reputation for their discipline. his later years, he began to call all German-language printed In general, German-Americans himself Frederick Trump, and matter. Several months later, were highly regarded and seen as speculates that this would have Iowa governor William Harding hard-working and charitable. As happened at about the same time made the speaking of German a result, they were subjected to as World War I. Public boycotts in public illegal, insisting that less of the prejudice that resulted that made it impossible for beer “The First Amendment is not from the prevalent nativism of halls (which were important a guaranty of the right to use the time. Newspapers in German places for German-Americans to a language other than the were also common throughout gather and socialise) to continue language of this country.” The the working districts of Chicago their business were a serious New York Times applauded and Milwaukee, areas that were blow to the usage of the German the efforts of twenty-five state heavily populated by German language. Publications in governors across the country to immigrant blue-collar labourers. German, which, in general, were remove the German language Nonetheless, public either sympathetic to the cause from the American educational attitudes towards German took of the central powers or had a curriculum, calling them “good a drastic turn in 1917, when it more pacifist stance, saw their hard common sense”. Even the became clear that war against readership plunge to an all-time former president of the United Germany was inevitable. The low and many had died out by States, Theodore Roosevelt, Zimmermann Telegram was the 1920s. showed up in public and asserted the last straw for an American Even the otherwise highly that “There can be but one public that had already been respected social reform loyalty – to the Stars and Stripes, enraged by the sinking of the movements of the time were one nationality – the American, Lusitania. Following Congress’s no exception to anti-German and therefore only one language declaration of war on Imperial outburst. The Chicago Woman’s – the English language.” Germany, German-Americans Club, whose prominent A one-year-old war taking had to cope with a wave of mass members included Jane Addams place thousands of kilometres hysteria and anti-Germanism. and Lucy Flower, suggested that away from America virtually Anything with an association public education in America eliminated the existence of what to the Kaiser, even the German make it mandatory for children had been America’s second most language, was viewed as deeply to recite the Watch Your Speech important language. Statistics suspicious. The American pledge, which actually became from before the war show that people began a campaign to a reality in 1918. Schoolchildren over a quarter of American high remove German influence found themselves saying “I love school students studied German from the country, starting with my country’s language. I promise: as their second language, a figure the Americanisation of names (1) that I will not dishonor my that collapsed to just 0.6% by the related to German culture. For country’s speech by leaving off war’s end and has stayed below example, the small town of the last syllables of words; (2) that 1% ever since. Today, German- Berlin, Michigan was renamed I will say a good American ‘yes’ Americans have so thoroughly Liberty, sauerkraut became and ‘no’ in place of a foreign ‘ya’ and completely assimilated ‘liberty cabbage’, the frankfurter or ‘yeh’ and ‘nope’; (3) that I will themselves into the American became the ‘hot dog’ and do my best to improve American way of life that they themselves German fried potatoes became speech by avoiding loud harsh barely remember their German ‘American fries’. tones, by enunciating distinctly origins. According to the Fearing a massive backlash, and speaking pleasantly, clearly Economist, German-Americans many German-Americans and sincerely.” almost unanimously speak only decided to change their names The suppression of the English at home. It is very rare to and family histories altogether. German language did not hear someone speak German in This is how Eisenhauer became stop there. In fact, America’s the United States, except for on Eisenhower and Huber became leaders were at the forefront remote farms in the wilderness Hoover. While the grandfather of the campaign to eliminate of North Dakota (the only state of the current President of the German from society. In where German was able to Babel The Language Magazine | November 2017 23 Feature Wars on language retain its status as the second Guten Morgen, one noticeable wide campaign of renaming most spoken language) and difference that the Alsatian word Alsatian towns with French the semi-nomadic and deeply has compared with its German names. The industrial Alsatian religious Amish communities in counterpart is that the latter ‘g’ city of Mulhouse became known the Midwest. What happened to is pronounced [ʒ], an commonly as Mülhausen. Even sleepy Romansh in the Vinschgau valley occurring feature of French. communes like Châtenois were also happened to German in the Another example is aurevouar no exception to the frenzy of States, this time on a larger scale (‘goodbye’), which is very similar Germanisation: the streets of and to a far more significant and to the French au revoir but has Metz were erased from the map influential language. been compounded – a common and new ones were created, linguistic occurrence in German. bearing the names of famous Alsatian in Alsace-Lorraine It is, therefore no surprise that German historical figures. By 2nd For most of their recent history, Alsatian contains expressions September, 1915, Alsace-Lorraine France and Germany have such as vielmohls mersi (‘thank was declared fully Germanised. regarded their hegemony over you very much’), a combination The French influence on Alsace-Lorraine, the land of of the German vielmals (‘very Alsatian was not only curbed wine and foie gras, as central much’) and French merci (‘thank through these symbolic gestures: to their status as European you’). Germans followed the advice continental superpowers. The Alsatians had a dilemma of intellectuals, such as the Franco-Habsburg Wars of the concerning their identity: while Alsatian-born German poet 17th century saw the French they were not clearly French, nor Friedrich Lienhard. Lienhard royal army occupying this strip of were they clearly German. This advocated the return of Alsatian land which used to be part of the meant that when World War to its mother language, German, Holy Roman Empire. This gave I erupted, Germans regarded a result he believed could be way to the Franco-Prussian War Alsatians in a similar way to achieved through the removal of 1870, in which a modernised how ‘real’ Americans looked of ‘degenerate’ elements of Prussian army defeated the upon German-Americans. the French language that French and regained control over German mistreatment of rendered it ‘feminine’ and a region that the felt they – as the Alsatians during the war was, therefore incompatible with the successors of the Holy Roman to say the least, discriminating ‘masculine’ nature of German.

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