Language(s) and Identity at the Time of the Enlightenment
Van Strien-Chardonneau, Madeleine
Language(s) and Identity at the Time of the Enlightenment - 2021.
22
In the multilingual context of the United provinces French progressively became the second language of the Dutch élites. During the eighteenth century, the critique of French cultural values went hand in hand with rising interest in German, English and the reevaluation of Dutch. This paper studies the influence of multilinguism on Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp (1762-1834) whose social and cultural identity were fashioned by his mother Carolina van Haren, and then by a mentor who consolidated his knowledge of classical languages and initiated him into German and English. Just when the idea was spreading that a nation is a community linked to one language, Van Hogendorp’s awareness of his national identity is shown to be bound up with an increasingly refined mastery of Dutch.
Language(s) and Identity at the Time of the Enlightenment - 2021.
22
In the multilingual context of the United provinces French progressively became the second language of the Dutch élites. During the eighteenth century, the critique of French cultural values went hand in hand with rising interest in German, English and the reevaluation of Dutch. This paper studies the influence of multilinguism on Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp (1762-1834) whose social and cultural identity were fashioned by his mother Carolina van Haren, and then by a mentor who consolidated his knowledge of classical languages and initiated him into German and English. Just when the idea was spreading that a nation is a community linked to one language, Van Hogendorp’s awareness of his national identity is shown to be bound up with an increasingly refined mastery of Dutch.
Réseaux sociaux