Linguae Europaeae

by Julia Gainski  Julia Gainski is a senior in Integrative Biology and German Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Julia's future plans include traveling, applying to physician assistant programs, and learning new languages. She wrote this blog post in 418 'Language and Minorities in Europe' in Fall 2021. Poland has struggled time after time to survive as its borders consistently shifted due to unlawful rulers that have come to power. From Germany’s occupation of Poland in the Second World War to Poland being under Communist rule, Poland’s resilience, and ability to uphold their traditions, culture, and religion in the midst of dark times has shown the irrepressible strength that Poland portrays. Undoubtedly, Poland was drastically affected by these historical events and as a result, ethnic minorities have been further divided and impacted as well. There are four ethnic minorities that exist in Poland today which are: Karaim, Lemko, Romani and Tatar. T...

Victory Day Parade. Sevastopol, Crimea .  Is the Instruction of Crimean Tatar Language Benefiting Under Russian Occupation? By Nicholas Higgins Nicholas Higgins is a M.A. student with the Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Center, looking to finish his degree by the summer of 2017. He is interested in the study of new ways of understanding the development of identity during Glasnost’ and Perestroika, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He wrote this text during his time in 418 “Languages and Minorities in Europe”. At the time of the return of the Crimean people to the Crimean peninsula, the only people who still knew the Crimean Tatar language were those who had known it before the exile. Demographic data shows that the Crimean Tatars who knew the language were the older generations, as the people born in exile were taught only Russian (Emirova, 2007). According to Professor Adile Emirova, an avid researcher of her native language, Crimean Tatar, there are f...

by Eastman Klepper Eastman Klepper is a graduate student in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Eastman will start working for the government after graduation and is interested in the Russian language and culture and the current use and future development of the conventional ground forces of the Russian Federation. He wrote this text as a student enrolled in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe.’ Figure 1 Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltics ( Image Source ) The Russian annexation of Crimea and the Russian-supported separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine have has become a major focus for the Baltic countries of Latvia and Estonia.  Due to their NATO membership, and active support “of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other countries that have resisted Russia’s pressures” (Bugajski),  these two countries have become a prime focus of Russian activities to gain the support of the Russian-speaking minorities...

by Andrey Starostin In current events concerning Russia’s involvement with Ukraine, there is a lot to be said about the culture, specifically language(s), and their significance in influencing opinions and outcomes.  Crimea is today’s topic at hand, and in this blog I aim to address the elements making Crimea seem like a discrepancy in the first place. In reference to CNN’s article, “Ukraine cries 'robbery' as Russia annexes Crimea,” Matt Smith and Alla Eshchenko write about Russia’s claiming of Crimea.  They write, “Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called it ‘a robbery on an international scale,’ one that Kiev will never accept.” At the same time, they write of Putin’s exclaim, “’In our hearts, we know Crimea has always been an inalienable part of Russia.’” The way I view what I am labeling as “The Crimean Discrepancy” is a matter of perspective and opinions.  Perspective as a concept claims authenticity in terms of the “eye of the beholder.”  I woul...