Language, Religion, and the Changing Cultural Identity of Alsace (2009)

Undergraduate: Tatiana Hodapp

Faculty Advisor: Hannelore Jarausch
Department: Public Policy

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The steady decline of Alsatian (a Germanic dialect) during the twentieth century offers Alsace, France as a case study of linguistic change in process. Religious leaders have played a significant role in the language debate in Alsace. This study examines the use of French, Standard German, and Alsatian in Christian religious practices in Alsace since World War II. It was found that French has been increasingly substituted for Standard German in religious services since WWII. However, beginning in the 1980s a limited number of Protestant and Catholic parishes began to incorporate Alsatian into services. Currently, some Protestant pastors are promoting the use of Alsatian within their parishes. In contrast, Alsatian usage in Catholic services peaked in the 1990s and now is nearly non-existent. Protestant pastors are more vigorous than their Catholic counterparts in asserting that the Alsatian language is an essential part of their identity and therefore must be preserved. Protestant pastors argue that Alsatian language knowledge is practical because it gives one a foundation in German and consequently makes learning Standard German easier. In contrast, Catholic priests point out that many young Catholics and non-Alsatian Catholics do not speak Alsatian. From pastors’ and priests’ perspective, linguistic change since WWII in Alsace is often guided by the understanding of how important it is to live in one’s maternal language, particularly in such an emotional domain as religion.