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Author: Andreas Wolff
Destination Izmir: Turkish culture spiced with Greek and biblical history
The Greek island of Lesbos is only a few miles away from Izmir. Many people there still refer to Turkey as Asia Minor. Before the population exchange in 1922, after the Greco-Turkish war, around half the city’s population were Greek. Today Izmir is a city based in Asia, but with a very European feel to it. It’s no further away than the Canaries and becoming a popular tourist destination with direct flights from many cities in Europe.
Nonetheless surprisingly many people speak nothing but Turkish. I always learn a few words of the local language because it brings a smile on people’s faces. But I wished a had learned a bit more. The car hire company was supposed to “meet and greet” us, but didn’t. When I phoned them the explanation was in broken English and pretty useless. Thankfully someone from the airline could translate and we found our way to the car and eventually to the hotel.
The breakfast buffet had a distinctly Turkish twist and I loved the savoury pastries, sausages and cheeses. In fact everywhere we ate, the food was very good. Turkish cuisine is obviously known for its kebabs, but it offers so much more. We had only excellent culinary experiences whether it was fresh fish in a harbour in Urla (about 45 minutes away by car) or Köfte (meatballs) in melted cheese in a small village eatery. So if you’re a foody Izmir is for you.
History is also big in the Izmir area. On day one I visited the ruins of ancient Smyrna as the city was known in Greek. Humans have settled here for 8500 years. The Persian empire and others had control of the area in the past, but most the historical ruins that can be seen today are from Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times. The buildings around the old agora, the marketplace, are in ruins and bits of columns etc. are piled up in heaps. However work has started to re-erect some pillars and arcs where it was possible to make use of the original pieces. Where necessary new parts have been added to make the pillar whole and these new parts are clearly identifiable, but fit well into the ensemble. At the top of the hill, Mount Pagos, sits the ruined Kadifekale Castle which was founded in the 4th century BC, but visiting it seems to be a safety issue and I decided to enjoy it from down below.
Continue reading “Destination Izmir: Turkish culture spiced with Greek and biblical history”Wymysiöeryś, a language coming back like a phoenix
Wymysiöeryś has 8 native speakers left who are still fluent. It was thought by an academic to be dead by now. However around ten people have so far learnt the language to fluency and the prospects are better than at any point since WWII. A Germanic language, it isn’t mutually intelligible with German, but was still forbidden in communist Poland. However while most of the Germans in Silesia were forcibly removed (including my own grandmother) Wymysiöeryś speakers declared themselves Anglo-Saxon and were allowed to stay. (An Là on BBC ALBA, 13/4/24)
Doric Bootcamp
Some believe Scots is just bad English. But it was the language of Scottish kings and of the Scottish Parliament before its dissolution in 1707. It “lives” on a continuum with English, meaning that some speakers of Scots will be understood by English speakers, but others won’t. One of the strongest dialects is Doric or North-East Scots. I am currently organising this Doric Language Bootcamp:
Your chance to learn and practice North East Scots over a weekend in July in a beautiful setting by the beach. Get your tickets for the Doric Language Bootcamp here at bargain prices.
Mozart’s Requiem Mass by Choir of the Earth
Privileged to have been a part of this performance in Edinburgh. The choir are all amateurs (not the soloists) who met for the first time that day. Apologies for the quality of the piano.
AI translations are “word soup”
AI translations of well known books into Scottish Gaelic have been called “word soup” by author Alison Lang. In my interview for the Irish language news programme, TG4 Nuacht I make the point that the translations aren’t beautiful, some of the text unintelligible and the idea must have come from a monoglot.
Chinese/ Swedish/ Scots/ Fering
It’s been three months since I started with the “Hello Chinese” app. I have really enjoyed it and the most important thing is: I have stuck with it. They promised I’d be fluent in three months if I did ten minutes a day. That’s what I did, except for a handful days when I was too busy. I do feel my Mandarin has really improved, but it’s still far from being fluent. However I’ll keep using the app because it’s fun and very useful. My understanding of Swedish has also improved with the Coffee Break Swedish podcasts.
As far as Scots is concerned, we have been granted funding from the Doric Board to hold a Doric Bootcamp. This means we’re able to offer it as a real bargain. It will take place from 5th to the 7th July 2024 in Portsoy. Teachers from Banff Academy will be providing the workshops. We will have the beautiful Sail Loft right by the beach to ourselves. More info to follow soon.
From Mandarin, a language spoken by around a billion people via Swedish with ca. 10 million native speakers to Scots, which over 1.5 million people claim to speak and on to Fering, the Northern Frisian dialect on the German island of Feer/ Föhr, which has 2,000 speakers. The Northern Frisian language family has 10,000 speakers, but not all dialects are mutually intelligible. I am soon going to brush up on my Fering again for my upcoming visit and hopefully I’ll be able to organise a bootcamp there as well in the future.
Right: Bilingual road sign on Feer/ Föhr
Mayan language revitalisation through science curriculum
A project to gather indigenous Mayan science and teach it to pupils in Mexican schools in the native language is going into its second round. Boosting confidence, some kids reportedly ask their parents to speak more Maya to them. It is hoped this will help stop language decline. (An Là, BBC ALBA, 14/1/24)
Elsässisch/Alsacien
Almost half the population of Alsace in Eastern France claim to speak the local Germanic language, but the president of the Cultural Council doubts that. In any case only 2% of under 25-year olds speak the language. This year a private model of bilingual partial immersion classes is tried for the first time in four schools (An Là, BBC ALBA, 12/12/23).
How much do you trust your national minority?
At the Forum of European Minority Regions organised by FUEN (Federal Union of European Nationalities) recently it was interesting to hear from Finland, which has a Swedish minority of around 5% of the population. Trust in them is so big that they even allow them to have a Swedish language regiment in the armed forces. Everybody has to learn Swedish at school. In Estonia on the other hand there is a sizable Russian speaking population of around 22%. Some of them are monoglots, probably mostly for historical reasons, and they even struggle to get access to medical services. They are often also stateless as they have to prove they are able to speak Estonian to get a passport. In light of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine they are faced with considerable suspicion. While that may be understandable to a certain point I’m not sure if alienating them will turn them into loyal citizens.
Andreas G. Wolff, MA (International Journalism) 