The 1915 German-Estonian phrasebook as an interface of German-Estonian language contact and a vehicle for annexationist propaganda

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter 1 is to consider the ways in which the 1915 German-Estonian phrasebook (subsequently republished in 1916 and 1918), attempted to facilitate German-Estonian language contact while also functioning as a vehicle for German annexationist propaganda. I will argue that by trying to convince its German-speaking audience of the natural ‘Germanness’ of Estonia and the Estonians in a political and cultural sense, the phrasebook made a contribution towards preparing the ground for a future German occupation of the northernmost part of the Baltic region, meant to be followed by a permanent annexation of the Estonian-speaking areas to Germany. The phrasebook’s practical purpose as a language guide must have been limited, not least because the actual occupation of Estonian-speaking areas was delayed until the autumn and winter of 1917-1918. This, however, did not stop the phrasebook from being printed in tens of thousands of copies already before any German troops managed to reach Estonia.