Almost four years have passed since the first language conference. What has changed since then?
In 2009, when we, the self-organization bodies of Russian Germans, were transferred from the German Society for Technical Cooperation (today GIZ) competences in the field of language work, we were provided with 2.5 pages of text, which listed the areas of training specialists for out-of-school language education. Today we have a concept of linguistic and ethnocultural activities, a program for preschool language education for Russian Germans, a concept for introducing an ethnocultural component in language education. These documents are the basis of our work. They spell out mechanisms for interaction and integration of extracurricular opportunities within the framework of supporting Russian Germans and the opportunities that are given to us within the framework of the legislative framework of the Russian Federation. A council for language work has been created - a team of professionals and like-minded people, which includes representatives of both the governing bodies of self-organization of Russian Germans and partner universities, German organizations that play an important role in popularizing the German language in Russia and in supporting the German minority, in particular. German language teachers have also perked up - their work has become more in demand, they are participating in processes to preserve the German language as the language of one of the peoples of Russia, and working closely with public associations of Russian Germans. In 2011, a community of such German language teachers was created.
What innovations have emerged in language teaching for Russian Germans?
We have experimented a lot in recent years. We wanted to touch the chords that would encourage parents to enroll their child in a German-language class. We have achieved the introduction of German in kindergartens in several areas. We were looking for forms of language learning that young people would be interested in. We tried to reach the leaders public organizations Russian Germans, who sometimes believe that it is possible to head an ethnic organization and yet not know the language and not strive to master it. But the main change occurred, in my opinion, at the psycho-emotional level. We realized that we could continue to exist as an ethnic group only if we preserved the language and actively used it in everyday life.
Difficult times have come for Goethe's language in Russia. Is the German minority intentionally helping to strengthen the status and role of the German language in the country in an effort to save their native language?
Yes, intentionally, despite the fact that first of all we think about preserving and transmitting our mother tongue. We have nowhere else to go but to kindergartens and schools if we want to give our children knowledge of the German language. Against the backdrop of a general passion for English, the role of Russian Germans in strengthening the status of the German language in Russia is increasing.
Olga, speaking about native language, do you mean literary German or dialects?
It is important for us to study today literary language, but we must understand that dialects are a huge layer of our culture, which we are obliged to preserve.
What about the Russian language? What does it mean to Russian Germans?
Bilingualism determines the development of language processes among Russian Germans today. Also in Soviet years our poetess Nelly Wacker reflected it in her poem: “als seltenen Reichtum hat das Leben zwei Muttersprachen mir gegeben, die Eine ich bei Mutter fand, die Andre spricht mein Vaterland...” Bilingualism has its undeniable advantages, but also risks, primarily for the German language. Our task is to guide these processes and extract only benefits from our bilingualism. Look at European educational trends in the language environment - this is multilingualism, i.e. native language, language of a region or country, foreign language. In my opinion, Russian Germans do not lag behind Europeans.
How long will it take, given permanent job MSNK and appropriate support so that the efforts made today bear fruit and in the future the transmission of the German language in the families of Russian Germans would be successfully carried out by itself?
To recreate the linguistic environment, which has undergone sad changes in the 20th century, it will be necessary to raise an entire generation, which, in turn, will preserve the linguistic tradition in the family. This is a long journey, you will have to be patient and work together tirelessly. I believe in a team of like-minded people and in the fact that the love for the German language is in the heart of every Russian German.
Interviewed by Olga Silantieva
Expert commentary
Valentina Dyatlova, Ph.D., Director of the Regional Dialectological Center for Research of German Dialects of Siberia, Associate Professor of the Department of German Language of Krasnoyarsk 
State Pedagogical University
One day I heard: “And there is only one warrior in the field.” This was said about speakers of German dialects at one of the conferences. These words accurately emphasize the importance of every person who retains knowledge of the dialect. It is important to communicate in the dialect with children, observe German customs, and cook National dishes so that children remember what it is called in the dialect. 38% of informants are sure of this. Unfortunately, since there is no wide scope of application of dialects, they are gradually disappearing, therefore the most important priority in language work on modern stage there should be a recording of linguistically unique German dialects, proverbs, sayings in dictionaries, a corpus of dialect texts, and in language atlases - 15% of respondents say this. The increasing role of the Russian language in communication has, of course, contributed to the opinion that there is no point in preserving dialects (6%), and closely related to this is the conclusion that dialects have no future (6%). But we must remember that even one dialect speaker serves to preserve his ethnicity, since the memory of the language will be alive.
Alexander Geyer, regional coordinator of ISNC for the Tomsk region, native speaker
The dialects of Russian Germans are not only different from the literary German pronunciation, words and concepts, this is also a whole layer of culture (schwanks, songs, stories, etc.). So we are losing not only our language, but along with it part of our culture. How many of those who know the dialect pass it on to their children? Where there is no compact living, I think only a few do this. What should I do? It is urgent, before it is too late, to write and write people who are still alive and speak the dialect. At a minimum, introduce a section on dialects into the language course program. To give young people, those who speak literary German and are interested in dialects, the opportunity to study them. Republish literature published in the USSR in dialects in the post-war period. Conduct a series of seminars for teachers and those wishing to study dialects, having decided in advance on the main dialects. Introduce dialect training into the training program of BiZ - Educational Information Center. We can make an attempt to preserve dialects, teach them to those who are interested and who know the literary language. The task is complex, and success in solving it is not guaranteed.
On November 20, at the All-Russian Educational Forum “Multilingualism in Education: German is the First Second Foreign Language” in Moscow, First Deputy Chairman of the International Union of German Culture, Vice-President of the Federalist Union of European National Minorities Olga Martens spoke about the strategy of language work using the example of Russian Germans.
As part of the section “Studying the German language in the context of the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard,” Olga Martens presented a report “Bilingualism of German minorities in Europe: the current situation and strategies for language work using the example of Germans in Russia.”
She spoke about the work of the Self-Organization of Germans in Russia and projects born over 25 years of activity of the International Union of German Culture: periodicals - the Moscow German Newspaper, children's magazines "Schrumdi" and "Schrumdirum", published by the publishing house "MaVi Group", the all-Russian competition "Friends of the German Language" ", the "Totales Diktat" campaign, German language courses for adults "Hallo Nachbarn!", language ethnocultural camps in Russia and Germany and others.
“Today, not only in six countries around the world do they speak German as their mother tongue, but also in 20 others European countries where German national minorities live, there are more than one million people,” says Olga Martens. “The Germans of Europe are united under the auspices of the Federalist Union of European National Minorities in working group, within which they have the opportunity to exchange experiences and jointly contribute to the preservation and development of the German language.”
The First Deputy MSNK placed special emphasis on the need comprehensive support teaching German - from preschool education before teaching adult language. Therefore, the International Union of German Culture devotes Special attention working with schools, kindergartens and preschool education centers. “For three years, the team of authors has been developing the program “Deutsch mit Schrumdi”. Today, the program is being implemented in 175 kindergartens in 6 regions of the Russian Federation,” noted Olga Martens. “The program received a European expert assessment from the Institute of Psychology and Applied Pedagogy in Kiel and a license from the Federal Institute for Educational Development,” she especially emphasized. In addition, the International Union of German Culture is conducting active work to support the linguistic competence of German language teachers - forums, seminars, and advanced training courses are regularly held.
At the end of her speech, Olga Martens thanked the organizers of the Forum for the opportunity to take part in it and invited teachers and teachers of the German language to the International Scientific and Practical Conference, which will be held from October 1 to October 4, 2017 in Moscow.
For reference:
The forum was organized by the Institute. Goethe in Moscow with the support of the International Union of German Culture. The media partner of the event is the Moscow German Newspaper. The forum events will take place on November 19 and 20 in the business center of the Radisson Slavyanskaya hotel.
The Forum program includes: speeches, seminars and master classes from experts from Germany and Russia, discussions on professional topics.
Within the framework of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Public Diplomacy. Partnership of public organizations" with a report "A decade of partnership of public associations of Russian Germans in Russia and Germany" was made by the vice-president of the Federalist Union of European National Minorities (FUEN), first deputy chairman of the International Union of German Culture, Olga Martens.
Olga Martens
Having welcomed the conference participants and especially the long-term partners of the International Union of German Culture - the delegation of the Association of Germans from Russia and the Youth and Student Union of Germans from Russia (JSDR), Olga Martens emphasized the importance of Russian-German relations in European and global politics. “Interaction through civil societies plays a big role in relations between both countries,” she is sure. Vivid examples Similar cooperation are partnership projects carried out by Germans in Russia and their compatriots in Germany - exhibitions of artistic works, music and theater projects, film projects and many others. “The partnership of our organizations is determined by our common historical destiny, mutual interest and sympathy of Russians and Germans as a whole,” the speaker believes.
“An important component of cultural cooperation is partnerships between cities and regions of Russia and Germany. Today, there are over 100 similar partnerships and over 100 agreements on interregional cooperation.” Olga Martens also emphasized the special role of Russian-German Houses and cultural and business centers of Russian Germans in establishing interstate relations. The latter were opened with the support Federal agency on Nationalities Affairs in 2016 and 2017 in Omsk and Kaliningrad, “it is planned to open another similar Center in 2018,” said the first deputy chairman of the MSNC.
Despite existing cooperation in many areas of activity, Olga Martens believes that “another urgent task is to increase interaction with international and non-governmental organizations in order to ensure the rights and protection of national minorities, and prevent discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, language, religion , the use of double standards in understanding civil liberties." In addition, “we need to develop academic mobility and scientific exchanges, programs to support the German language, city partnerships and cooperation in the field of small and medium-sized businesses.”
In her speech, Olga Martens spoke about the importance of continuing the practice of holding cross Russian-German thematic years, which would be aimed at further strengthening mutual interest in the worldview and traditions of the partner country. She also proposed declaring 2019 the Year of Social and Humanitarian Partnership non-profit organizations. This is important because initiatives of citizens and their public associations are the basis for cooperation between civil societies.
At the end of her speech, she invited those present to take part in a partnership project - a “social forum”, which is scheduled for August current year in the Volga region, where 100 years ago the autonomous region of the Volga Germans was created."
About the event:
International scientific and practical conference “Public Diplomacy. Partnership of Public Organizations” takes place in Moscow on February 13-14. The conference is held with the aim of preserving and strengthening the cultural and linguistic diversity of the peoples of Russia and promoting a positive image Russian Federation on the international stage.
Organizers: Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans, Institute of Ethnocultural Education - BiZ using funds from a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society with the support of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for interethnic relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for Nationalities of the Russian Federation, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, State Duma FS RF.
NEWS
- The All-Russian competition “Best names of Germans in Russia – 2019” starts!
Applications are now open for participation in the annual All-Russian competition “Best Names of Germans in Russia” 2019, which is held with the aim of identifying and encouraging iconic personalities among Russian Germans for outstanding achievements in the field of culture, art, science, education, social activities, as well as field of sports. Applications will be accepted until August 9!
- “Minderheitenschule – a platform for out-of-school communication and immersion in a language environment”
In a month, a new session of the “Ethnocultural Semester Minderheitenschule-2019” will begin on the German island of Sylt. For two weeks, high school students from different regions of Russia will attend club meetings on the history and culture of Russian Germans, creative and sports workshops, and all this - only in German!
- Family meetings of Russian Germans were held in the Primorsky Territory
In June, “Family Meetings” of Russian Germans took place in the city of Nakhodka (Primorsky Territory). The participants of the event were members of the NNCA of the Primorsky Territory: families of Russian Germans of four generations from Vladivostok, Artyom, Nakhodka and Partizansky district.
- Exhibition “German Volga Region. Unfinished Photo Chronicle" will open in Cologne
From June 25 to July 16 in the premises of the Forum. Lev Kopelev will host the exhibition “German Volga Region” in Cologne. Unfinished photo chronicle” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Autonomous Region of the Volga Germans. The exhibition was prepared by the International Union of German Culture and the Moscow German Newspaper in collaboration with Russian and German museums and archives.
- New Islands of Hope
At the Munich residence, in the hall where the Bavarian kings once received their guests, on May 27–28, the XXIV meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-German Commission on Russian Germans was held.
- Robots, farmers and soul
- Ivan Krott: “The conference will help strengthen dialogue and open up wide opportunities for cooperation”
As part of the opening ceremony of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “The Living Heritage of Alexander von Humboldt” in Omsk, scientists and educators from Russia and Germany made opening speeches.
Now that the passions around the candidacy for the post of head of the Agency for National Affairs have subsided, it is time to think about what the content of the activities of the new agency will be.
More than 190 nationalities living on the territory of Russia today again have hope that the state will finally take up the sphere of the specific national identity of ethnic groups, that it will move from supporting “picture” national and interethnic festivals to creating ethnocultural education programs, the goal of which is to preserve the languages of the peoples of the country. Then, perhaps, the Russian “black list” of endangered languages by UNESCO will no longer have 136 positions, as it is now, but much less. Russian Germans set an example of how they solve the problem of the disappearance of their native language, also included in the atlas - the Low Saxon language, a dialect of German.
The Germans have lived in our state for more than 250 years. They voluntarily moved to Russia at the invitation of its rulers, and in this they differ from all other peoples of the country. Soviet authority gave the Germans a territorial entity - a republic in the Volga region, several German national regions were created. However, in the late 1930s - early 1940s, they were liquidated, and the German population itself was subjected to repression: the Germans of the European part of the country were forcibly resettled to Siberia and Kazakhstan in 1941, and a year later the working-age German population ended up in Gulag camps. In the post-war decades, not everything that was taken was returned, and not immediately. When, during the timeless period of the 1990s, the opportunity arose to leave for their historical homeland, almost 2 million Germans took advantage of it. Today, about 400 thousand Germans live in Russia.
But it was not just the German population itself that fell sharply. If in late XIX century, almost 100% of Germans spoke their native language, then a century later, only every tenth German, according to the results of the 2010 census, recognizes German as their native language: the consequences of deportation, repression, and mass emigration were so serious. For decades people have been making excuses for not knowing the common language. tragic fate. Today, Germans who do not speak the language of their ancestors have a new argument - it is impossible to learn German, because English dominates at school.
The question was stark: how to save the language of the Germans of Russia, and with it the Germans themselves - as an ethnic community.
Five years ago, the public self-organization of Russian Germans, abandoning the position of “everything is owed to us,” took the initiative into its own hands and, like Baron Munchausen, to some extent a Russian German, began trying to pull itself out of the quagmire by its hair. The concept was written, programs were developed. Today, the first results and further deficits are already visible.
More than 120 groups have opened on the initiative of the International Union of German Culture preschool education German in six regions of Russia and the only educational and methodological kit in the country for learning the language in kindergartens, Deutsch mit Schrumdi, has been created. Systematic work began with parents of preschool children and junior schoolchildren aimed at creating positive motivation for language learning. International scientific and practical conferences began to be held regularly - before this there was no common platform for German language teachers from different parts of the country. The all-Russian competition “Friends of the German Language,” which recently ended for the fourth time, annually attracts thousands of language lovers. In language educational programs oh, for both children and adults, acquaintance with the dialects of Russian Germans is provided.
However, having begun systematic work, the Germans were faced with a catastrophic shortage of personnel to work with preschoolers. Not at all populated areas there is an opportunity to study German- be it at school, at university or even on courses. The legislative framework There is a program that allows you to learn German as a native language at school, but it is difficult to put it into practice in the constituent entities of the federation.
With the creation of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs, Russian Germans, like other peoples who do not have their own public education on the territory of the country, they have special hopes. The hope is that the new structure will create conditions for the ethnocultural development of peoples, taking into account the needs of the peoples themselves. So, for example, for Russian Germans it is important that the status of the German language is consolidated at the regional level, so that in the subjects of the federation where Germans are the second language ethnic group after the Russians, every school had the opportunity to study German. This is all the more relevant in view of the educational reform carried out over several years and permanent shift standards. It is very difficult for civil society institutions and public self-organizations of the peoples of Russia (namely, they themselves have to act as “lobbyists” for their interests) to negotiate with educational institutions so that when developing educational programs they take into account the ethnocultural needs of their students.
Today in the federal media you can often read reflections on the topic “How to restore the friendship of peoples?” Russian Germans show this friendship through their lives and creativity, revealing the spiritual world of the peoples living in their neighborhood: Theodor Herzen, who gave the Kyrgyz people 200 linocuts illustrating the national epic “Manas”; Herold Belger, who introduced the reader through translation literary creativity the great Abai with the spirit of the steppes and the spiritual world of the Kazakhs; Nora Pfeffer, who spoke about the beauty of the Kvishkheti valley, wisteria on Tbilisi verandas, about Georgians and Germans who studied at the German gymnasium in Tbilisi and knew both languages.
So, maybe the friendship of peoples is not such an unattainable value? Maybe we should just remember how it was and think about what is stopping us from returning to it now?
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