IRENA SMETONIENĖ

Vilnius University

Research areas: rhetoric, stylistics, theory and practice of norms, language policy, cultural linguistics.

DOI: doi.org/10.35321/all90-15

Aurelija Tamulionienė, Nida Poderienė, Sonata Vaičiakauskienė

LANGUAGE USE TENDENCIES AND LANGUAGE ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS IN POLISH- AND RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE SCHOOLS IN LIETUVOS

Vilnius: Institute of the Lithuanian Language, 2023, 178 pp. DOI doi.org/10.35321/e-pub.63.mokyklu-lenku-rusu-kalba ISBN 978-609-411-347-5

This time I will begin with the conclusions, so that the reader immediately understands that this will not be a review seeking something to criticize— we have been waiting for such a study for a long time. At last, we have it. For language-policy makers, this is an indispensable book; I cannot imagine future guidelines or discussions with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport or representatives of ethnic communities without it. For those of us who are not indifferent to what is said here, it will also provide support for work and various initiatives, because we can no longer remain silent and hope that everything will resolve itself. I congratulate the authors on completing an enormous task. You read page after page and feel that they care deeply, that they are not indifferent to what is happening in Lietuvos education and public life as the 34th year of Independence is under way.

This is a completely new and different kind of study from what one is accustomed to reading in the works of colleagues at Vilnius University (Loreta Vilkienė, Laura Vilkaitė–Lozdienė, Justina Bružaitė–Liseckienė, and others). Language attitudes are approached here in a new way, with a different questionnaire and analysis of the responses. A good overview of the research makes it possible to understand the researchers’ theoretical basis, but theories are not followed blindly; material is sought

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for insights and generalizations dictated by it. The same can be said of the methodology. Its basis is clear—the theoretical foundation consists of Howard Giles’s concept of ethnolinguistic vitality, but appropriate qualitative methods were also employed in processing the questionnaire data. In the introduction to the study, the reader finds important statistics: how many students there were in ethnic-community schools and in which years, and how that number changed. It is very important that the study provides information on the education of students from ethnic communities in other Baltic countries, as well as an overview of similar research.

When we talk about education, everyone’s eyes turn to teachers—the burden of this difficult task rests on their shoulders—yet little is said about the problems teachers face in such schools and what assistance they need. We read about this in the first chapter of the study. The authors’ summarizing thought in the first part is encouraging: “In the country’s schools for ethnic minorities, Lithuanian-language teachers with extensive experience work actively in the educational process, both as creators and as developers of the educational content; they are able to choose appropriate forms of education and critically evaluate educational-content tools and teaching materials” (p. 23). However, the problems raised by teachers prompt concern about what kind of younger generation is growing up if its vocabulary is poor, it lacks motivation to learn Lithuanian, and students hear Lithuanian only during Lithuanian-language lessons. It is unlikely that the situation would improve if assistance came from “school and administration representatives, teachers of other subjects, who would encourage and involve students in events, projects, and other creative activities conducted in Lithuanian” (p. 25); I believe that here a political decision is needed, as in neighboring countries. Of course, students’ language is also influenced by their environment (family, friends, the language used in internet searches, films, music, games, and books). As the teachers who participated in the study state, “the absence of a linguistic environment directly correlates with students’ poor vocabulary” (p. 25), yet not only teachers but also politicians are powerless to influence the environment. The chapter presents various methods for encouraging students to learn; the teachers themselves discuss ways of solving the problems, but without family support and suitable textbooks, one teacher cannot create motivation alone—“the teacher is left alone” (p. 36).

The other two chapters of the study, which analyze student surveys and their personal relationship with their native language and Lithuanian, are particularly interesting and valuable. When students learning in Polish are discussed, it is expected that they use only Polish at home, but the study showed that “fewer than half of the students communicate in Polish in the family, one-third are bilingual or multilingual, and one-fifth communicate in Russian in the family” (p. 79). As we know, language shapes culture, values, and thought, so such data must spur everyone into action: politicians, language-policy makers, the concerned part of society, and, incidentally, the Polish community as well. Parents’ influence, at least at a younger age, is enormous: “parents instill an open or suspicious attitude toward people, transmit and maintain traditions, and cultivate moral

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Aurelijа Tamulionienė, Nida Poderienė, Sonata Vaičiakauskienė.

Language use tendencies and language attitudes of students in Polish- and Russian-language schools in Lietuvos

qualities, shape attitudes toward the necessity of education, and cultivate lifestyle habits that determine the quality of everyday life and domestic life. Students base their attitudes and ethical evaluations on the values instilled by their parents” (p. 47); “the family language predominates in most areas of students’ everyday life—communicating with parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents, watching television programs, playing games, attending religious services, and in many other contexts of family-language use” (ibid.). Attention should be drawn to Tables 6 and 7, which show the languages used to communicate with friends and on social networks and to write messages, and Tables 10 and 11, which show the languages in which students watch films and browse the internet. And in this most important environment—from the family to the internet—is there really so much Russian in Polish families? What joy and what opportunities opening up for unfriendly neighbors! As for the use of Lithuanian, the researchers observe that “except for reading, the extent of Lithuanian-language use in all other areas of linguistic activity is very narrow” (p. 61), although the students themselves emphasize that it is important to know Lithuanian well so that one can communicate everywhere and obtain a good job; thus, the language has high social value. However, English is also acquiring ever greater value in these schools: “the older the students, the larger a part English occupies in their everyday lives and, consequently, in their language use” (p. 66).

Students attending schools where Russian is the language of instruction answered the researchers’ same questions somewhat differently: “the children most often indicated that they speak Russian at home every day (90 percent), very rarely Lithuanian (1 percent); only 5 percent of students indicated that they use several languages—Russian and Lithuanian—and 0.6 percent of students indicated that they speak Polish” (p. 83). Communication with friends and on social networks and reading books take place essentially only in Russian, which also predominates in film selection, whereas “information on the internet almost always is sought in three languages: the majority (69 percent) in Russian, in Lithuanian (15 percent), in English (14 percent), and isolated cases (2 percent) in Polish […]” (p. 98). Seventy percent of students understand that, living in Lietuvos, one needs to know Lithuanian, but it is more important to know English because it is fashionable.

The authors must also be praised for the study’s very clear and logical structure; its separate parts are connected by the same authorial aim and idea. The individual parts of the research are based on scholarly studies, thus lending the study weight and credibility. It is appealing that all the responses are discussed in detail, conclusions are drawn, and, most importantly, recommendations are presented for how the problems that have arisen might be addressed. The chapter summaries are highly valuable; they prompt many thoughts and reflections.

The authors write modestly about who might benefit from such research. In my view, it is invaluable and, as I mentioned, essential reading for everyone. From what the students and teachers say, it is not difficult to discern what the strategies of education and language policy should be and what must be done for Lithuanian to occupy its proper place in schools of ethnic communities. I believe that all of us (including the Polish community)

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need to pay attention to the dominance of Russian, since our goal since the restoration of Independence has been that in these areas of life Lithuanian should increase, not some other language.

Thus, this scholarly study provokes a great many thoughts—and this is its great virtue. I would suggest that the authors continue the work they have begun so beautifully; I believe such research would also be important in Lithuanian-language schools, so that there too we could see the actual language situation. The study is an authorial work. One may discuss the ideas presented in it and clarify certain nuances, but this should move into conferences, seminars, and discussion events; for now, we must state that we have an excellent work. I would suggest that everyone read it and reflect…

Submitted on 6 May 2024.

IRENA SMETONIENĖ

Vilnius University Faculty of Philology Institute of Applied Linguistics Department of Lithuanian Language Universiteto g. 5, LT-01131 Vilnius, Lietuvos [email protected]

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