Abstract

During the eighteenth century, a change took place in the grammar schools of the Holy Roman Empire: while the ancient languages – Latin, Greek, and Hebrew – increasingly lost importance over the course of the century, the ‘spoken’ languages, mainly French, but also other foreign languages, were becoming more popular. The article will sketch the broad outlines of this tendency. Various ‘higher’ eighteenth-century schools will be considered, in two geographical regions: on the one hand, four schools in middle Germany; and on the other hand, two grammar schools in Reval (today's Tallinn). With the help of all these examples, the choice of the language studied and its acquisition by German-speaking students from wealthy families will be described in a wider context. This broad approach makes it possible to identify certain tendencies within the school system at the time. In addition, it will provide a deeper understanding of language acquisition in the schools of both regions; it raises the question of the extent to which the choice and study of languages in these two areas were similar or different. Finally, the choice of language and the subsequent professional activities of the students are compared. Data from the schools show the choice of languages made by the students, as well as their future career. This raises another question: was language choice made for practical use in the future, or was it made to confirm the affiliation of their family with a social elite?

Keywords: Latin, middle Germany, French, grammar schools, language acquisition, Reval (Tallinn), multilingualism

Soweit wir nun entfernt sind, daß für jeden Nichtgelehrten, für den Kaufmann, für den Officier u.s.w. für schädlich zu halten – da selbst die Uebung des Verstandes in einer so gebildeten Sprache eine Bildung für denselben ist, […] so haben wir doch nur zu oft wahrnehmen müssen, daß für junge Leute, die es wissen, daß sie kein Latein zu lernen nöthig haben; die vielleicht von ihren Eltern selbst mit Verachtung davon reden hörten, und sich also unter einem harten Schulzwang fühlen, wenn man sie dazu anhält;