Re: For Our Favourite Russian Chauvinists


Eugene Holman wrote:
> In article <hEiQe.75$884.23240@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "«Pas de deux»"
> <kamouraska3@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > "martin" <martintg@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > news:1125233204.698994.3010@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > >> Riga remains an important city for trade with Russia, and widespread
> > >> practical ability to use Russian, as well as a substantial and
> > >> influential
> > >> Russian-speaking population, will ensure Russian a niche in the
> > >> city's
> > >> business and culture.
> > >
> > > And Latvia's continued education policies will assure otherwise.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Martin
> >
> > More strength to them. Golman just can not wean himself away from the
> > ample bosom that nurtured him in his days as a commie lover and
> > propagandist for Moskau.
>
> Nonsense.
>
> Russian is the only large language spoken in north-eastern Europe, so its
> regional significance spreads far beyond its borders. It does not matter
> whether Russia is ruled by czars, communists, drunkards, or ex-KGBniks.
> The language has close to 300,000,000 speakers, close to half of them
> second-language speakers such as most Balts over the age of thirty-five,
> and it remains one of the handful of languages in which scientific
> information of world significance is produced in abundance. You don't just
> throw a resource like that down the toilet, no matter what some of its
> speakers did to your country in the past.

Why not? The Russians flushed 800 years of Baltic German language and
culture down the toilet, so flushing a mere 80 years of Baltic Russian
language and culture down the toilet should be easy enough.

Regards,
Martin

.

Relevant Pages

  • 1988 acadmic article on Soviet (= Russian) linguistic imperialism
    ... SOVIET LANGUAGE POLICY IN CENTRAL ASIA ... Preventing the Russian Empire ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)
  • Re: 1988 acadmic article on Soviet (= Russian) linguistic imperialism
    ... SOVIET LANGUAGE POLICY IN CENTRAL ASIA ... Preventing the Russian Empire ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)
  • Re: Language dynamics
    ... language, and no good will come of that. ... Students without Latvian skills have a dim future. ... Russian intruders spewing "why hasn't Russia been allowed to wreck ... Lithuanian foreign or domestic policy hasn't had to be given the nihil ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)
  • Re: Language dynamics
    ... language, and no good will come of that. ... Students without Latvian skills have a dim future. ... Russian intruders spewing "why hasn't Russia been allowed to wreck ... Lithuanian foreign or domestic policy hasn't had to be given the nihil ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)
  • Re: Polish statue not to be rebuilt (quite rightly)
    ... language voluntarily. ... Latvians speak better Russian than Russians speak Latvian. ... Russian, and because there was no subtext attached to using it. ... Letts surveyed think Letts should learn Russian. ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)