Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-08-20
WILL NOT FORBID
IALSATIAN TONGUE
No Bar to German-French
Patois in Repatriated
Provinces.

PARIS, Aug. 2o:-France has no in
tention of trying to abolish the Alsatian
dialect, or even of attempting to replace
the dialect and the German tongue by
French.
While the provinces. Alsace and Lor-
raine, were in the hands of the Germans
the use of French was barred.
1t was forbidden to teach French in
the primary schools, and that language
was known only to the wealthy who had
private teachers for their children,
But everybody in Alsace, rich and
poor, bourgeois and peasant, speaks the
native patois.
1t is the plan of the French govern
ment to keep this dialect alive.
In the long winter evenings in the
, Alsatian valleys before the war whicI.
redeemed the provinces from Prussian
sway, children would ask their grand
fathers or graGdmothers to tell them
about France, for which the elder gen.
Grafton had maintained a profound at
tachment.
And the stories the children listened
to were always told in patois.
For twenty years after the disaster
Of 1871 It seemed as II the Prussians
i
in the "Iost provinces"
But they counted without their hosts
In 1908 the cult of the French lam
! gusge became a veritable religion.
Z Societies sprang up in every town and
/ village. Concerts and theatrical rep
/ reservations were given in French.
] The number of French-speaking Alsa-
/ tians grew every year. In 1895 only
/ 1912 Alsatians spoke French.
By 1910 this number had increased
/ TO more than 100000.
/ DIALECT HAS
HARSH SOUND.
/ The Alsatian dialect has a harsh sound
/ IN comparison to French but. it is said.
1t translates exactly the Alsatian men
/ tality.
| 1t can not be used for psychological
treatise or a scientific discourse, but it
/ is admirably adapted to songs, folk lore,
| proverbs and old sayings, so popular
( IN the district.
/ It has been used with great success
| By a young dramaHst, Eugene Gerber.
[ of Dambech, who is director Of a theater
! in that town, where he has produced
several short plays in dialect.
His talent has been officially 'recog,
/ nized by the Societe des Gems de Let
/ tres.
VI. Cnarlely. director or puDnc n
struction of Alsace, has announced his
/ program regarding the use of the Ian
Guage of the province as follows:
/ l. German must not be forbidden.
| ?. We must assure the p-edominsnce
( OF French. as IN essential instrument Of
/ intellectual and moral culture.
5. Children who have received primary
/ instruction in German will continue to
/ study in that tongue, with French in
/ struction on the side.
Children who entered primary school
after the signing OF the armistice wilt
/ he taught French by the so-called ''natu-
/ raj method. that is by the use of in
/ ages showing 5he meaning of the French
( words
When some IF Napoleon's encourage
made fun Of the patOis of Kellermann,
/ Bapp and Lefevre, his famous generals.
T the emperor rctorted: Let them bah
I bic in their dialect all they like. They
always fight IN French
/ Fifty years from now, when the little
/ children of Alsace ask their grandpar-
/ ents TO tell them about the war and tie
! liberation of their country they viii
listen 10 the story in Alsatlsn dialect.