Changes in the Linguistic Marketplace: The Case of German in Hungary

Abstract

For centuries, the German language has occupied a significant place on Hungary’s linguistic map. It has been present as a mother tongue and minority language in the wake of the migration processes that have taken place since the Middle Ages, while as a foreign language it has played and continues to play a role as a result of Hungary’s close ties with German-speaking countries. However, over the centuries, its social status, prestige and use have undergone considerable changes as a function of the changing power relations and political, economic and cultural interests of the time. Our aim in this chapter is to provide an overview of these changes in status and the reasons for them from a macro-sociolinguistic perspective (for a micro-sociolinguistic analysis of the present situation, see Knipf-Komlósi 2008: 265–327; Carl and Stevenson, this volume). We begin the (necessarily) sketchy review of the social history of the German language in Hungary with the eighteenth century,2 as it was at the end of that century that the question of the status of the German language — or rather, the question of the German speech communities — first emerged. This was the time when, in Hungary, as in other European countries, language became the main carrier and symbol of national identity (cf. Gal 2006: 14f.). The Herderian concept of ‘one language — one nation’ established a close link between nation and language, and it cast language as a source of conflict, a mobilizing force in order to gain power and achieve political goals.KeywordsForeign LanguageLanguage PolicyMother TongueMinority LanguageGerman LanguageThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.