[Cz-L] language matters

A recent report from last Saturday:
My grandfather is being taken care of by a lady from Moldova. She speaks
Romanian but has learned good Hebrew since she came to Israel as a foreign
worker 3 years ago. She speaks with my grandfather Hebrew only. On Saturday
I wanted to explain something to her, and was looking for the word steel. I
asked my grandfather for help: Could you please tell me the Romanian word
for steel? My grandfather looked at me pathetically, and answered: You
forget, Danny, that I am an Austrian Bukowiener. I speak German, not
Romanian.
I am pretty sure that he knew the Romanian word, for he visited Romanian
schools as a child. I also remember him speaking Romanian with some
neighbours in the past. However, his sense of identity - and language has
much to do with it - has remained quite stable, to say the least. His was
born in 1914 and still tells everyone how it took 6 years till his father
was sent home by the Russian enemy, being kept there as a POW of the
Emperor's army.

Danny Alon
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Received on 2008-01-07 16:34:29