Language Research

2. Background: Background notes

The region of Schleswig, which had been disputed by Prussia and Denmark, was divided in two parts in 1920. South-Schleswig remained German, while Norh-Schleswig went to Denmark. Although Danes had been living in this region since the 9th century, groups of Germans settled down there starting in the Middle Ages, Germanizing the region increasingly over the centuries under the reign of the Holsteins.

Updated (April 2001)

GREENLAND

Greenland, or Kalaallit Nunaat together with the Faeroe Islands, is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has the same Constitution, foreign policy, defense and judicial system.

But since 1979, when the Home Rule Act was introduced, Greenlanders have been working hard to achieve their own identity. Their language is an important part of this goal.

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Updated (February 2008)

GERMANS IN DENMARK

German national minority, numbering between 15,000 and 20,000 people, inhabits the area of the North Schleswig region. Minority members regard themselves as Danish citizens with a German identity and strong ties to the region of North Schleswig.

North Schleswig is officially monolingual in Danish, as is the rest of Denmark. Although German does not have official status in the area, the German minority is free to identify with German ethnicity and culture. This identification may not be denied or controlled by the authorities.

The Danish government accepts the existence of German kindergartens, schools, libraries, athletic clubs, and cultural organizations. The status of the German minority is guaranteed by the Danish-German Agreement of 1955 (“Bonn-Kopenhagener Erklärungen”).

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT GERMANS IN DENMARK

Both Germans and Danes lived in harmony until the rise of nationalism in the middle of the 19th century. The national conflicts resulted in two wars – the first lasted from 1848 to 1850, which Denmark won, and the second 1864, when Denmark lost to Prussia and Austria and the Schleswig region became a Prussian province.

The outcome of the World War I opened up the prospect of a solution to the Schleswig question. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, applying the right of national self-determination, two plebiscites were held in Schleswig in 1920. In the southern part the vote in each community was counted separately, while in the northern part, all votes were counted together – en-bloc. The result in the northern zone was 75 percent for Denmark, 25 percent for Germany. In southern part, the result was 75 percent for Germany and 25 percent for Denmark, but with no Danish majority in any community. As a result, the border between the two zones became the national border between Denmark and Germany.

Another consequence of the plebiscite was the creation of the German minority in Denmark and the Danish minority in Germany. At that time, the Germans felt that the en-bloc voting procedure had been unfair and demanded a re-drawing of the border.

When Hitler came into power, the German minority hoped for a revision of the border, but in the end got disappointed. The occupation of Denmark by German troops on 9 April 1940 further poisoned relations between Germans and Danes in the border region. World War II was a disaster for the German minority: 752 volunteers died in the war, all buildings were confiscated and some 3,000 German minority men were jailed for cooperating with the German occupation. However, the signing of the Declaration of Loyalty in 1945 brought a light into the lives of German minority in Denmark: the German minority officially declared their loyalty towards the Danish Constitution and acknowledged the border of 1920. In the meantime, the German minority became an accepted part of Danish society.

The Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations of 1955 were a further step towards normality. The declarations assured the rights of minorities in the north and south of the border and people could freely choose their nationality.

Highlights of recent history have been the visits of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II in 1986 and of German President Richard von Weizsäcker in 1989, as well as the joint visits to the German minority in North Schleswig of Danish queen Margrethe II and German President Roman Herzog in 1998. All of these visits were important steps towards complete equality and demonstrated the good relations in the Danish-German border region.

The German-speaking minority in Denmark is officially represented by the Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger organization, which aim is to represent the interests of the minority and promote German language and culture in Nordschleswig.

The minority is in close contact with the Danish Parliament and Government through its Secretariat in Copenhagen.

Kindergartens and schools are central institutions of the German minority; they play an important role in teaching German language and culture.

German is officially allowed for use in the media, although not especially supported. A German paper “Der Nordschleswiger” is the daily newspaper, which plays an important role in the minority group's intercommunication, and acts as its voice, contributing actively towards shaping positive German-Danish relations.

There are no German radio or TV stations in the minority area, but German radio and TV programmes can and are received regularly and frequently, and are quite popular with the majority population, too.

Source: Minorities in Denmark, General Information at http://www.midas-press.org/NR/rdonlyres/FE98812B-94EC-42A2-99B2-6BB7BD88B3DD/0/Overview_Denmark2007.pdf

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Updated (June 2009)

GREENLAND BECAME A SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORY

On 21 June 2009, after 300 years under Danish rule and a limited autonomy since 1979, Greenland became a self-governing territory with the right to self-determination within the Danish kingdom. The new statute devolves most powers to the island, grants Greenlandic the status of the island´s only official language and establishes the right of the Greenlandic people freely to attain full independence.

Coinciding with Greenland's national day (June 21), people took to the streets of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to celebrate the new era. Prime ministers from Greenland and Denmark and Queen Margreth II, who was dressed with the traditional Inuit costume, attended the ceremony. According to AFP, pro-independence leader Kuupik Kleist said that "other countries have obtained self-determination often through making a lot of sacrifices but Greenland has secured it through dialogue, mutual comprehension and reciprocal respect with Denmark".

Kleist also said that his cabinet wants to focus on the implementation of the greater autonomy granted by the new statute and the improvement of social services.

Danish premier Lars Loekke Rasmussen, said that "the question of independence is not an issue today, but it's totally up to Greenlandic people themselves to decide whether they wish to be a part of the Danish kingdom or whether they wish to establish an independent state."

Source: Nationalia Ciemen, June 22, 2009 http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/516