Multilingual Environments in the Great War

Description

This book explores the differing ways in which language has been used to try to make sense of the First World War. Offering further developments in an innovative approach to the study of the conflict, it develops a transnational viewpoint of the experience of war to reveal less expected areas of language use during the conflict. Taking the study of the First World War far beyond the Western Front, chapters examine experiences in many regions, including Africa, Armenia, post-war Australia, Russia and Estonia, and a variety of contexts, from prisoner-of-war and internment camps, to food queues and post-war barracks. Drawing upon a wide variety of languages, such as Esperanto, Flemish, Italian, Kiswahili, Portuguese, Romanian and Turkish, Multilingual Environments in the Great War brings together language experiences of conflict from both combatants and the home front, connecting language and literature with linguistic analysis of the immediacy of communication. Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Preface • Christophe Declercq and Julian Walker List of abbreviations and acronyms Part I: Multilingual environments Introduction to Part I • Hillary Briffa 1 Wilhelm Doegen and the Königlich-Preussische Phonographische Kommission: Translation, phonetics and phonography among the Italian prisoners in the German POW camps of the Great War • Stefano Bannò 2 The French army and Russian interpreting and translating in France and Macedonia during the First World War • Gwendal Piégais 3 Language in East Africa during the First World War • Anne Samson 4 Pioneers of internationalism: Esperanto and the First World War • Javier Alcalde 5 Scenarios and projections in First World War phrasebooks • Julian Walker Part II: Language and identity Introduction to Part II • Constance Ruzich 6 ‘O belo dizem que é beau’: The choice of poetic language, performed identities and imagined communities in the First World War • Julia Ribeiro S. C. Thomaz 7 ‘Authentic Histories’ and racial insults: Memoirs on African-American soldiers in the First World War • Chris Kemsphall 8 Romanian writers who fought in the First World War and how the ‘Great War’ shaped their works • Cristina Ileana Ilea (Rogojină) 9 The 1915 German-Estonian phrasebook as an interface of German-Estonian language contact and a vehicle for annexationist propaganda • Mart Kuldkepp 10 Politics of words: Language and loyalty of Czech-speaking soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army • Jiří Hutečka Part III: Non-combatants Introduction to Part III • Jane Potter 11 Khvosty, meshochniki and ‘internal Germans’: The transformation of everyday life language in Russia during the First World War • Iaroslav Golubinov 12 ‘Berlitz Krieg’: The development of a modern language pedagogy at Ruhleben civilian internment camp • Jamie Calladine 13 Translating charity for allied aliens: Belgian charity books in Britain • Christophe Declercq Part IV: Post-war Introduction to Part IV • Marguerite Helmers 14 Tracing the afterlife of war words in Australia, 1919–29 • Amanda Laugesen and Véronique Duché 15 The language of battlefield guidebooks, 1919–25 • Mark Connelly 16 The Mint by 352087 A/C Ross • Jonathon Green 17 When words kill: Armenians, Jews and the nature of genocidal discourse • Fabian Van Samang 18 Creating the international mind: The language of internationalism and the battle for global public opinion (1912–38) • Steve Witt Conclusion: Up the line with the best of luck • Julian Walkerand Christophe Declercq Index