Jazyková koloniální politika v bývalé Německé jihozápadní Africe

Abstract

The article deals with German colonial language policy and linguistic research carried out in the territory of Namibia during its time as a German colony. Since the language issue was one of the most challenging topics for both Germans and the indigenous population, a significant effort was made to establish substantial language training facilities. German colonists had the opportunity to attend the Seminar for Oriental Languages in Berlin and they received financial support from the government for their commitment to study. The local population learned the German language and culture, attending special courses under the auspices of missionaries. One of the most famous missionaries was Heinrich Vedder, who made a huge contribution to research on the Nama people, exploring their language and culture. Many contrastive linguistics textbooks were published, showing differences between the respective grammar and lexical systems. Another important attempt to support multilingualism was made by professional journals containing comprehensive information about new findings made in South West Africa.