EU expansion boosts languages

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An article published yesterday in the Guardian's online edition comments on the effect the EU has on languages. According to the author Duncan Campbell, last years EU expansion, which added nine more official languages to previously eleven tongues, not only was an input for the translation industry (the EU translation department alone has an annual budget of US$ 1bn or £ 568m ) but also "the smallest languages in the EU have" experienced a "real psychological boost".

According to last weeks Eurobarometer results, last year's enlargement had strengthened the position of English and German at the expense of French. While English is now spoken by 47% of EU citizens (as a first or second language), German has overtaken French as the second most widely understood language. Due to the expansion into eastern Europe, where Russian is mandatory in many schools, the language is now spoken as a second language by 5% of EU citizens.

While the increasing costs of maintaining translation service for 20 official languages (from 2006 21 when Irish Gaelic ascends to official status) may at one point lead to the reduction of the official linguistic diversity, linguists " believe that the boost to minority languages should be celebrated." "Culturally, intellectually, academically and even psychologically, the more languages you have, the better," Dr Briffa, linguist at the University of Malta, is cited but warns. "This cultural aspect is much more important [than saving money]. It would be a disaster to reduce the EU to just, say, three languages. If one language becomes dominant, there could be an expansion of nationalism."

source: guardian.co.uk

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