ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 17

July 2003
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com

Enigma 2000 article - German speaking groups outside Germany - Part 1

From our German Desk we received this most interesting article. If you have ever wondered why certain languages are used by Number Stations read on:

The stimulus for this article has come from several sources, including my own interest in number stations and my service in BAOR [British Army On the Rhine]. During this time I was employed on, amongst other duties, what was then termed EW [Electronic Warfare]. Of course in these enlightened [?] times it has become Electronic Counter Measures or ECM.

One posting that I have read stated that the German Stations transmitting numbers are obviously aimed at Germans. Not so! I recall a remark made to me, whilst on EW duties, by an Intelligence Corps sergeant. He was of the opinion that a German transmission merely proved that the sender and recipient speak German.

Another stimulus for this exercise is my personal fluency in German and probably the reason for my being employed on the duties I have just described.

The forgoing led me to do some research into groups outside the obvious national group who would understand German as well as use it on an everyday basis. I have excluded Austria where the national tongue is German.

The amount of groups involved surprised me [and may surprise you]. This article is the result of research using personal knowledge, conversation with acquaintances, books and finally the internet. I cannot claim that this research is complete or exhaustive and would welcome corrections and additions via ENIGMA 2000.

All conclusions drawn or opinions expressed are my own and in no way associated with any Service Branch, Government or Professional body with which I have in the past associated, or with which I may be associated with in the future. My sources are disclosed at the end.

German Speaking Minority Groups

France: Alsace - Loraine:

Geographically part of France, Alsace-Loraine is divided into three French departments, following the national French system. Historically it is one of those areas which has changed hands several times as a result of war. The departments are: Bas-Rhin [German - Unterfilsass], Haut-Rhin [German - Oberfilsass] and Moselle [German - Lothriwgen].

During the period 1871 to 1918 the area was a federal state of the German Empire. For a long period the territory of the department of Belfort [Welschundsgau] remained, until 1870, part of Alsace, with some 40% of the population German speaking.

For a list of place names that will assist in the identification of the area and illustrate the linguistic diversity:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9479/elsass.html

Historical Comment:

This area retains to this day, its own distinct language, bordering on pure German 'Hanoverischels or Hochdeutsch, the German equivalent of Oxford English.

I have met natives of this area and have conversed, at length, in German. The reader should note that this area is geographically and politically part of France, and that the national language is French.

During World War 2, many Frenchmen, particularly from this area, served in the Wermacht and Waffen SS. Sufficient Frenchmen were recruited to form a complete Waffen SS division, although it should be noted that by no means all Frenchmen serving were natives of this area. Indeed, during the German period of occupation in WW2, this entire province was incorporated into the Greater German Reich, and all its male population were subject to exactly the same conscription laws as the remainder of Germany.

Source: Private conversations, Waffen SS order of battle [website] and Waffen SS Foreign Legions.

Belgium:

Linguistically possibly the most complex country in Western Europe so far as division of populace by linguistic and ethnic grouping is concerned. Broken up into areas [sub-areas] they are:

Brussels and Flanders [A]:
Brussels:	Bi-lingual in French and Dutch. [A1]
Flanders:	Dutch NB. No linguistic minority rights are extended in this area. [A2]
Flanders:	Dutch with linguistic minority rights for French speakers.[A3]

Wallonia [B]:
Wallonia:	French and Waleen [B]
Wallonia:	French; no linguistic minority rights [B1]
Wallonia:	French, plus linguistic minority rights for Dutch speakers [B2]
Wallonia:	Wallonia - Waleen, a language spoken, but not recognised. Presumably treated as a dialect. [B3]

German in Wallonia [C]:
A sizeable region of Wallonia contains a German speaking group, divided as follows:
Wallonia:	French with linguistic minority rights for the German speaking population. [C1]
Wallonia:	There are no linguistic rights for those German dialect speakers resident in the province of Luxembourg. [C2]
Wallonia:	German is also spoken in those areas of Belgium which are not considered, geographically, to be situated in the German speaking area of the country. [C3]

The illustration of the division of language groupings by area can be assisted by perusal of the author's stated source.

Source: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9479/be3.html

Luxembourg

This independent Grand Duchy, measuring 51 miles by 32 miles, lies at the junction of the borders of France, Germany and Belgium.

The spoken language used by all levels of society is Letzeburgesch although all newspapers are printed in German, with some advertisements and articles in French.

This language, together with French and German is an official one. In nearby eastern Belgium live another 150000 ethnic Luxembourgers who also speak Letzeburgesch. This language is derived from 4^th Century German, and has evolved so much as to give difficulty to many 21^st Century Germans trying to speak it/

Historically, Luxembourg has belonged, at various times, to Burgandy, France, Spain, Austria and Germany. It has long had its own Royal Family.

In recent years despite its neutrality Luxembourg was occupied by German troops in both World Wars.

During WW2 some Luxembourgers formed their own fascist party modelled on the Nazis [NJDAP].

A list of place names will show locations and can be used for comparison purposes:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9479/lux.html

Groups in the Alps

In this long mountain range, which runs through much of Europe, are to be found several minority groups who speak German as an everyday language. They have been grouped under the various country of residence or ethnic group name.

Italy:

South Tirol: In this beautiful region of the Italian Alps there is the strange situation of a majority of German speakers living in the area. Taken in the context of the area being politically and geographically part of Italy, they are in a minority of the Italian population. Since the 1950's there has been unrest in this area, presumably as a result of this. There has even been a movement for the independence for South Tirol. That is, however, outside the scope of this article.

Throughout Italy, are scattered various other groups of German speakers. In the Aosta valley of Italy and in other nearby valleys are to be found the Walser. These are a minority group who speak a dialect derived from High German [Hochdeutsch]. It is also similar to Hanoverian High German, the German equivalent of Oxford English. This dialect is related to the one spoken in the Swiss canton of Valais and bears no resemblance to the dialect of South Tyrol.

In Aosta there are two distinct dialects: In the town of Gressonei the dialect spoken is called Tits. The spakers of this, some 578 souls, make up 66% of this small town. The second, found in the Titsu dialect and spoken in Eisseme by 292 souls. [About 80% of this small Alpine town - a small minority indeed!]. Taken together with the speakers living in Piemontes, val Sesia and Val Formazza, together with Aosta's Vallee de Lys, they number some 1000.

Gurinner Deutsch

This group live in the Swiss canton of Ticino which has an Italian majority. The area is named Bosco-Gurin and is a German enclave. They speak a high German and have, until recently, remained isolated from all other German speaking groups. Only now, is the influence of the dialects of Swiss areas such as Zurich beginning to have any influence on their dialect. Back in the middle ages they left their original home in the canton of Valais, settling in their present home.

Their dialect is akin to that spoken by Walser -Germans who live in Italy.

Geographically Bosco-Gurin is situated in Ticino [a Swiss canton] where Italian is the predominant language.

Cimbrian

In Trentino a group closely related to the Mocheno - Germans who live in the Fresina valley. These are the most southerly located group of German speakers in Italy.

In the Friuli province of Italy are small enclaves of German speaking people whose dialect is Bavarian. Last but not least, still living in the Alps are groups of German speakers who are survivors of German communities in Slovenia. [See later entry].

Bavarian

As mentioned above there are several German speaking communities in Northern Italy who use this dialect. Around Trento and in the province of Veneto, one hears the Cimbrian [or German= Zimbrisch] dialect. Around 3800 persons in that area speak it. The people who speak Mocheno German, about 1900 in all, live in the three towns of Fersina Valley [Trentino]. These are, geographically, the most southerly German speaking community in Italy. In Friuli, are several alpine towns that also have German speakers resident.

Slovenia

In the area around Gotschee, was an old community who spoke the Bavarian dialect of German. Following WW2 most of these Germans were expelled. However some have remained, as has been the case in other "Language enclaves" in Northern Slovenia.

They are Rut and Sorica. These communities are in no way related to the other German communities of Old Yugoslavia [see later].

Historical Note: During WW2, many ethnic Germans of all the foregoing national groups served as volunteers in the German Armed forces, the Wermacht. During the 1950's a nationalist group agitated, in some cases violently, for independence for South Tirol.

A list of place names for comparison and location purposes can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9479/tirol.html

Part 2 of this interesting piece from our German Desk will appear in the next Newsletter.