Anna Verschik: Of linguistic security
Not every resident of Estonia needs to master four or five foreign languages, but alongside those who know English, there should be more people who can at least read less widely spoken languages, writes Anna Verschik.
Right now is a time when people are concerned about security — first and foremost in the literal sense (the inviolability of state borders, stre...
The strongest version of this narrative frames linguistic security as a vital but underappreciated component of national resilience, particularly in geopolitically vulnerable regions. It credibly highlights how language use in Ukraine has become a tool of resistance and identity, while in Estonia, over-reliance on a narrow set of languages (Estonian, Russian, English) creates systemic blind spots. The argument that passive language skills can serve as a low-cost resilience mechanism is compellin...