Hør dog hvad de siger - Note-to-Self: Trials & Errors

I put Danish as the ultimately important because I think our own language is the most
important, and we must protect that [Inf31, 28.41].
Even though we are a small entity, I think we must hold on to our mother tongue. […]
Why should we drown in the big sea? We may as well hold on to our own culture, and
then language must be one of the central things. [Inf44, 12.50].
Particularly in the second of the two excerpts we see how Danish is constructed in opposition
to the indiscriminate mass just on the other side of the borders. It is probably not wrong to as-
sume that ‘outside’-entity is closely associated with the use of English.
The discourse about ‘correct use’ of the national language can be sub-divided into two related
aspects. On the one hand, a utilitarian need for correct use of the dominant (elaborate) ‘code’
(Bernstein 1964, 1971), idiomatically, in spelling, in punctuation etc.
I’d wish that people learned to express themselves better in Danish, verbally and in
writing. I see that with some of my younger colleagues, they have trouble expressing
themselves correctly in written Danish. I see that also in applications from future employees
[Inf21, 6.32].
On the other hand, a widely held belief that language change is a sign of decay (Aithison
1991). The language, thus, should be protected against corruption from adolescents’ lacking
competence and general laziness. This latter aspect is of course also closely related to the
maintenance of Danish culture as described above.
Of course I find it essential that we hold on to Danish. It is our unique brand to be able
to speak with each other, and write properly and, well, communicate properly with each
other. [Inf32, 19.31].
The third argument in favour of Danish is a ‘cognitive discourse’. It relates to the previous in
stressing the need to ’express oneself’, but adds new factors in stressing that learning your
mother tongue is also learning how to ‘think’. There is no boundaries between what you know
and what you are able to express (in your mother tongue).
Teaching of languages [is] also teaching how to think [Inf18, 26.50].
[What they need to learn] is vocabulary, and not so much orthography […]. They have
a very small vocabulary, some of those people, sometimes strikingly. […] And another
thing is common knowledge. I have a feeling that if you taught Danish through for example
literature or something, you would also increase their common knowledge. [Inf32,
19.31].
And finally, a good competence in Danish is the gateway to learning foreign languages.
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