I wasn’t sure what the most appropriate thread for this little observation of mine was so I’ve started a new one to cover it and it’s regarding everyday life of Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia today.
Take a look at the following YouTube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vWf5lJBZEE and please pay particular attention to the bit between 3:52 to 6:50. Watching that whole discourse reminded me of something that Risto The Great once said in a previous post with regards to the usage of Macedonian in Aegean Macedonia: “Speaking Macedonian is a farmer language and looked down upon by almost everybody.”
This clip kind of proves his point I guess. It’s a shame though. If those guys made an effort to converse in it, and this goes for Macedonians in Australia too (and the rest of the world for that matter), then the fluency naturally improves, the vocabulary gets richer and the confidence grows. I see nothing wrong with Macedonians in Greece speaking Greek as their first language. Just as I don’t see anything wrong with Macedonians in Australia, Canada and America speaking English as their first language. It’s just become easier to do so and that’s the reality of the situation.
But what is encouraging is that, just like here in Australia, I see a whole generation of young Macedonians proud of their heritage and singing and dancing to Macedonian songs at various festivals around Aegean Macedonia even though they, most likely, can’t even put a single sentence of Macedonian together.
There is generally a lot of pessimism when it comes to the topic of the survival of the Macedonian language in Aegean Macedonia but I’ve changed my views lately. I strongly believe that it’s not all doom and gloom. The spark is there. It just needs time to ignite. As long as there is a sense of Macedonian identity amongst the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia then the willingness to learn Macedonian will come eventually.
When I was growing up in Sydney, it wasn’t cool to speak in Macedonian amongst friends. Not sure if it was a desperate attempt to fit in or a fear of being labelled a wog but no one spoke Macedonian. These days, I am noticing the generation Ys and even the millennium generation are actively trying to speak Macedonian with each other. Admittedly, a very broken form of Macedonian but at least they’re having a go.
Finally, here’s one more YouTube video by Giorgos Thanou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9qbEl9cU4 . He has an amazing collection and I encourage everyone to browse through Giorgos’ YouTube videos as they cover all manner of life in Aegean Macedonia. There is definitely a vibe going on in the villages and towns around Aegean Macedonia and the best part about it is that the youngsters are right into it. Really nice to see.
Take a look at the following YouTube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vWf5lJBZEE and please pay particular attention to the bit between 3:52 to 6:50. Watching that whole discourse reminded me of something that Risto The Great once said in a previous post with regards to the usage of Macedonian in Aegean Macedonia: “Speaking Macedonian is a farmer language and looked down upon by almost everybody.”
This clip kind of proves his point I guess. It’s a shame though. If those guys made an effort to converse in it, and this goes for Macedonians in Australia too (and the rest of the world for that matter), then the fluency naturally improves, the vocabulary gets richer and the confidence grows. I see nothing wrong with Macedonians in Greece speaking Greek as their first language. Just as I don’t see anything wrong with Macedonians in Australia, Canada and America speaking English as their first language. It’s just become easier to do so and that’s the reality of the situation.
But what is encouraging is that, just like here in Australia, I see a whole generation of young Macedonians proud of their heritage and singing and dancing to Macedonian songs at various festivals around Aegean Macedonia even though they, most likely, can’t even put a single sentence of Macedonian together.
There is generally a lot of pessimism when it comes to the topic of the survival of the Macedonian language in Aegean Macedonia but I’ve changed my views lately. I strongly believe that it’s not all doom and gloom. The spark is there. It just needs time to ignite. As long as there is a sense of Macedonian identity amongst the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia then the willingness to learn Macedonian will come eventually.
When I was growing up in Sydney, it wasn’t cool to speak in Macedonian amongst friends. Not sure if it was a desperate attempt to fit in or a fear of being labelled a wog but no one spoke Macedonian. These days, I am noticing the generation Ys and even the millennium generation are actively trying to speak Macedonian with each other. Admittedly, a very broken form of Macedonian but at least they’re having a go.
Finally, here’s one more YouTube video by Giorgos Thanou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9qbEl9cU4 . He has an amazing collection and I encourage everyone to browse through Giorgos’ YouTube videos as they cover all manner of life in Aegean Macedonia. There is definitely a vibe going on in the villages and towns around Aegean Macedonia and the best part about it is that the youngsters are right into it. Really nice to see.
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