Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what linguistic chauvinism means?

Yes, people do feel the way. They carry pride in their language that in democracy like the Indian, the linguistic groups even oppose the screening of films of other languages in their talkies. They even paint black the sign-boards of other languages in their states.

‘Linguistic Chauvinism’ is the unreasonable belief, especially when aggressively expressed, in the superiority of one’s own language. As the Germans and the British had the unreasonable belief in the superiority of their languages German and English respectively. People with linguistic chauvinism think their own language superior to other languages spoken in the world. In the same way German was imposed to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine and the teaching of French was stopped.

The districts of Alsace and Lorraine were under the regime of France. During the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) France was defeated and both these districts became the part of Prussia (Germany). Earlier they were reading their own language, i.e. the French.

With the new set up, an order was issued from Berlin to teach only the German in these two districts. M. Hamel was a teacher who had been teaching the French for the last 40 years.

In his last lesson, he told that from the next day the students would be learning the German from a new teacher. They won’t be learning their own most beautiful, clearest and the logical language which is quite foreign to them. In a way he told the significance of their own language and aroused their patriotic feelings. The old villagers too endorsed his views. There came a sudden changes in Franz.

He developed a sort of great disliking for German. He heard and saw the pigeons cooing on the roofs. He immediately remarked : “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons ?” It is worthnoting here that the Germans can impose German language on the people of Alsace and Lorraine powerfully but they can’t impose this language on the birds, etc. They can enslave the people but have no authority to compel the cooing pigeons. Any forceful imposition will cease their love for them.

A linguistic minority in a state remains well in touch with one another. They of course have a good interaction within their community. They gather and celebrate their festivals with pomp and show with full swing. This helps them to increase their happiness and keeps them satisfied. They are never ignored by a lot of the states but they hardly develop social relations with others outside their linguistic group. They hold fast to their language. They have their minority schools to teach the language to the next generation. Through shows, celebrations, public libraries and public gatherings they keep their language alive.

Therefore, the Punjabis’ of Bangalore, Tamilians of Mumbai, Kannadigas of Delhi and Germany also imposed German in the two districts of Alsace and Lorraine after taking them under their regime. Gujaratis of Kolkata can keep their languages alive by having their minority schools, organising their individual celebrations and competitions periodically.

Prussia gained victory over Alsace. It affected the life at M. Hamel’s school a great deal. Orders were sent from Berlin that the schools of the Alsace and Larraine would teach only German instead of French. There came a sudden sea-change in the minds of students who were indifferent to their own language, its grammar and literature. They developed a new profound love for French. Even M. Hamel in his last address told about the importance of French. He called French as the most beautiful, clearest and most logical language of the world. Thus M. Hamel aroused not only the patriotic feelings but also love of one’s language.

Franz was a shirker. He too became sentimental. He felt sorry for neglecting his lessons in French. He developed a craving for French. He also felt deep reverence for his teacher. M. Hamel who was leaving them the next day. M. Hamel was the worst affected. He was deeply over come by a strong patriotic emotion. With profound grief he made a gesture with his hand ‘School is dismissed – you may go’.

In The Last Lesson, the teacher M. Hamel told the students about the importance of a language in the lives of the people. He implicitly stated that a language always keep the people united. He encouraged them to fight unitedly to win their freedom from slavery. In the words of M. Hamel: “When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language, it is as if they had the key to their prison.” In stating so M. Hamel is very much right.

There are examples in history where a conquered people who had held fast their language they could win back their freedom from their ruler. The biggest example in history is that of British on India who left the impact of English on us. History is replete with such examples of the races holding fast to their languages, that proved to be their keys to their prison. That is why, M. Hamel went on to say to his enslaved people of France in the school at the district of Alsace :

“We must guard it (the language) among us and never forget it.”

In other example, we can see that Spanish and Portuguese have been imposed on the people of Latin American countries.