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What I meant by "when they could" was that, a Latvian who worked for the municipality of Riga probably worked primarily or exclusively in Russian during the Soviet era. And spoke Latvian mostly at home with the family, or in social settings. Same goes for an Estonian who worked for a state-owned Soviet company.
People spoke their languages as much as they could, when they could. I was not meaning to say they were repressed to the point of not being allowed to speak it in the streets.
I think that people in Riga ( or Vilnus or Tallinn) were mostly the ones who could speak Russian fluently, and when they worked in miniciplaities - they'd probably had to speak Russian too. Other than that - they'd speak their native tongue in all public places, stores and libraries, and anywhere else away from the capital cities. I've found myself once in remote Lithuanian village, and as willing as people were to help, we've had hard time communicating, because they simply couldn't speak Russian. ( Until I've found a particular person I was looking for - his Russian was good.)
And it was not a situation in Baltic countries only - I had relatives in Caucasian Mountains, and whenever I'd have to deal with them, I was surprised how limited their Russian was ( well some of them, older generation mostly) although they lived in a capital city.
Well you can stop right there. If the grammar there is the same as in Russian, but the roots of the words are unrelated, then I'd personally find such language very difficult to learn. I try to help Russians who are learning English. But I have hard time teaching foreigners Russian, my own son including. I don't know where even to start there - the amount of basic stuff to be churned in order to speak and understand is too much for me.
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Though with Estonian, it's a little more complicated. And the vocabulary except for Russian loan-words is completely unrelated to Russian. But if Westerners can learn Finnish or Hungarian,
They can? Really?
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and some do, then Russians can certainly learn Estonian. They're already halfway there, almost, due to experience with their own complex case system.
So there we go - "some" is a key word. I'm sure *some* Russians can master Estonian or Latvian/Lithuanian, but obviously not many of them, and their population in Estonia is what... -about 400, 000?
Do you really think all these people are capable of learning Estonian language "en mass?"
So let's call it purely "physical" issue ( the ability to learn foreign language - difficult one at that.)
But then of course there is a "mental" issue as well, and Kuukulgur is certainly right when he is talking about Russians demanding "preferential treatment" in this respect.
Back in time, when I was not thrilled with life in the Soviet Union ( let's put it mildly), I was often asking Westerners why would they even learn Russian at the first place, what was their interest, what was their purpose? The answer was - "interesting history, different ( comparably to us) culture, weight in international politics" and in some cases - since their job was in the area of technology and they participated in programs of cooperation/exchange, then it made sense for them to pick some Russian.
So there you go. You put an effort ( and learning Russian does take an effort) because you see certain value in it as a venue to something worthy of attention, something that enriches you. Russians obviously don't see such value of Estonian language, ( as much effort as it takes to learn it,) since they don't see any particular advantages of Estonian culture - and that's on top of purely "physical" inability to learn it.
Of course it's a mental issue, as 30% of the Estonian and Latvian populace are Russians. All the Baltic States are losing population at an alarming rate, so losing the Russian-speaking population would be terrible..
But what I don't understand is that the Russian population have to realise that it's not 1950 anymore, and if they want to live as citizens in Estonia and Latvia, they have to adapt. It's not discrimination, it's reality. Wake up and contribute.
Of course it's a mental issue, as 30% of the Estonian and Latvian populace are Russians. All the Baltic States are losing population at an alarming rate, so losing the Russian-speaking population would be terrible..
But what I don't understand is that the Russian population have to realise that it's not 1950 anymore, and if they want to live as citizens in Estonia and Latvia, they have to adapt. It's not discrimination, it's reality. Wake up and contribute.
I don't think they want to "contribute" - not in the situation they find themselves in.
Of course it's a mental issue, as 30% of the Estonian and Latvian populace are Russians. All the Baltic States are losing population at an alarming rate, so losing the Russian-speaking population would be terrible..
But what I don't understand is that the Russian population have to realise that it's not 1950 anymore, and if they want to live as citizens in Estonia and Latvia, they have to adapt. It's not discrimination, it's reality. Wake up and contribute.
Yes sir. It's a mental blockage. Most of them see the Baltic peoples as their ''little brothers'' and refuse to lower themselves to speaking the little brother's language.
I don't think they want to "contribute" - not in the situation they find themselves in.
Like in Narva, which is like 90% Russian. What harm being a part of Estonia have they experienced? Nothing. Just learn the f**ing language. BTW, if you are still having the Russian citizenship you better have registered yourself.
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Originally Posted by Acajack
Yes sir. It's a mental blockage. Most of them see the Baltic peoples as their ''little brothers'' and refuse to lower themselves to speaking the little brother's language.
As always being the little brother, you just get used to it. Things change.
Of course it's a mental issue, as 30% of the Estonian and Latvian populace are Russians. All the Baltic States are losing population at an alarming rate, so losing the Russian-speaking population would be terrible..
But what I don't understand is that the Russian population have to realise that it's not 1950 anymore, and if they want to live as citizens in Estonia and Latvia, they have to adapt. It's not discrimination, it's reality. Wake up and contribute.
Why do you assume they don't contribute? Learning the language is an entirely different thing and just because many (unfortunately) can't speak Latvian/Estonian well, doesn't mean they are not contributing into the country.
Like in Narva, which is like 90% Russian. What harm being a part of Estonia have they experienced? Nothing. Just learn the f**ing language. BTW, if you are still having the Russian citizenship you better have registered yourself.
Why do you assume they don't contribute? Learning the language is an entirely different thing and just because many (unfortunately) can't speak Latvian/Estonian well, doesn't mean they are not contributing into the country.
Yeah, you just touched the real issue. Tax money.
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Originally Posted by erasure
Huh? Are you talking to me?
Yeah. Dual citizens have to register with the embassy or face a fine. The men living abroad are also subjects for possible drafts. The deadline already passed.
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Are you talking to me?
