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Language, the heart of our being

Folk wisdom holds that there is no good without the existence of bad. Or that there is always a flip side to the coin. Not the half-empty, half-full glass argument pitting pessimists against optimists but a reflection that is more than a statement of the binary nature of life.

Adaption is part of evolution; we change from birth to grave, not always for the better but without the awareness of the dark side often for the worse.

It is not easy to remain fluent in one’s mother tongue or learn new words, expressions, and concepts when one’s quotidian existence is in English. No matter where you live, English is the lingua franca in business, of the internet and for far too much of “popular” culture.

Consider the benefits of the modern age of communication. Thanks to all of the positive attributes of the internet, many of us are in direct and immediate contact with Estonians the world over. Some of us are on mailing lists according to interest, others see these group communications as invaluable lifelines that help us maintain our identity, culture, and most importantly Estonian language skills alive living abroad. Consider the negatives. It is not easy to remain fluent in one’s mother tongue or learn new words, expressions, and concepts when one’s quotidian existence is in English. No matter where you live, English is the lingua franca in business, of the internet and for far too much of “popular” culture. Which while eagerly consumed, especially by the young, is most often hardly of critical mass, worth a second thought. Globalization is the largest linguistic threat to small nation-states such as Estonia.

Täismahus artikkel on loetav Eesti Elu tellijatele

Igal nädalal toome me sinuni kõige olulisemad kogukonna uudised ja eksklusiivsed lood uutelt kolumnistidelt. Räägime eestlastele südamelähedastest teemadest, kogukonna tegijatest ja sündmustest. Loodame sinu toele, et meie kogukonna leht jätkuks pikkadeks aastateks.

Hind alates $2.30 nädalas.

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