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Time_Yam301 t1_iybeyx2 wrote

Reply to comment by BallardRex in Lithuania should phase out Russian language teaching - president's adviser by Interrete

Lithuanian people aren't Russian-speaking any more than anyone who learns to read Leo Tolstoy natively. I think they are probably more concerned with the Russian exclave that abuts their lands, and is a real sticking point in this growing global conflict.

Russia has no real need for what's left of East Prussia, and giving it to whomever in NATO probably would make it a pretty solid bargaining chip.

Language discrimination is just a bad idea. It never works.

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Full_Change_3890 t1_iybpmug wrote

5% of Lithuania is ethnic Russian. Smaller than the other Baltic states but still significant.

Not teaching a language in public schools is not discrimination, and a sensible choice for any country with a significant Russian minority as history has shown that having a Russian speaking minority makes you a target for Russian aggression.

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MissPandaSloth t1_iyc238h wrote

The discrimination has been other way around, Russian was de-facto 2nd foreign language just because of abundance of Russian teachers from Soviet times. If you wanted any other option you are either completely out of luck, or lucky enough to go to some special school that had German or French as an option. Something like Spanish of Mandarin is completely out of equation.

No one from my generation (gen Z) who weren't Russian speaking to begin with can do anything with Russian beyond saying basics. It's just not used anymore.

And when it comes to education options, I am also yet to hear anyone studying in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine or any other Russian speaking country to warrant it. Most people go to US, Germany, France, South Korea, Denmark, Netherlands (statistics), so that Russian language is just a leftover that doesn't really practically help.

Even in business, we actually have projects right now with Ukrainian company, before that a Belarusian... We all communicate in English. All tools and documentation are in English, it would be akward to speak about those terms and have to make some weird Russian-English words so even that comes organically (tech company).

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keymone t1_iybrtom wrote

Where do you see discrimination?

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mondeir t1_iyc56um wrote

In school I took russian language because of rumour that it's easier to pass. Kinda regret that now because... well... it just useless now (I don't even plan to travel there because they tend to grab people for political theatre). Other options were german and very rarely french (not all schools had that).

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Cr33py07dGuy t1_iyc6wfp wrote

Best is English. Sure Germany and France are big part of the EU, but realistically, not just in Europe but everywhere stuff done between nations mostly gets done in English.

Remember all those ministers in a train to Kyiv; from Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Norway? Many of their languages are “cousin” languages, but I bet my ass that they were speaking English on that train-ride.

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Jud1_n t1_iyccado wrote

Well duh, Lithuanian and LAtvian are of the same baltic family but languages are so differen't, it is impossible to communicate. A russian and Polish have better understanding of each other language than Two Baltics. Add in, a bunch of nordics and you must speak english out of politness.

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NocKme t1_iycu5lt wrote

For me its different. I took English and then German ( remember 0 German) but I work in logistics in Sweden and the amount off times Im sent to communicate with truck drivers with my extremely limited russian is insane. I wish I actually studied it. The amount of Ukrainian, Belarusian, Estonian, Latvian drivers are crazy, even the older Polish ones.

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