Useless Peasant Tongue?

Te Ao Hou, April 1958, Page 38

Useless Peasant Tongue? Nonetheless, Romantsch survived quite easily until the nineteenth century, when the greatly increased tourist trade, coupled with the entry of

Grisons into the Swiss Confederation and the improved communications, all helped to drive the ancient tongue out of the more accessible regions. The number of Rhaetians still speaking their own language dwindled rapidly. Those who did speak it mostly understood German and Italian as well. Nineteenth century public opinion generally was quite satisfied to see Romantsch die out. The Department of Education of the Grisons County, in a recent publication, gives an excellent sketch of the attitudes of those days:*Die Lehrmittel im vielsprachigen Kanton Graubuenden, Vom Erziehungsdepartment Graubuenden, Buendner Schulblatt. Chur, June 1954. ‘Romantsch in the schools was reduced to a minimum. The school was principally regarded as an instrument of progress and integration with the outside world. Romantsch as a language of the small world of the hearth, the village or at most the valley community was regarded as useless—even hampering—to further development. An attempt was made to suppress and eliminate the ‘useless peasant tongue’. The principal purpose of education was to Germanise the Romantsch pupils. This attitude was widespread among both Romantsch and non-Romantsch, and shared by the leaders of the day. Teachers, education boards and committees, and school inspectors bore down upon Romantsch in the schools with all the weight of their authority. Overzealous teachers and school committees fined children who spoke Romantsch on the school grounds…” Attitudes changed towards the turn of the century. A kind of Romantsch renaissance set in. Poets and writers started to publish literary works in the language. A movement developed to preserve and develop Romantsch language and culture, and found a great deal of public support. It was finally consolidated into the Romantsch League which has a powerful influence on the Grisons education system. Without the protection of this league, it is thought by many that Romantsch could not have survived. The league believes survival of the language depends to a large extent on its literary development and publishes numerous books and magazines in the various Romantsch dialects. The result of its work depends in the last instance on the younger generation.