Estonian university vs the German language. The case of Georg Barkan and Ernst Masing It has always been important for Estonians that the foreigners who come to live in our country learn the Estonian language. Knowing Estonian is an essential factor in becoming “one of our own”. It was the case also in 1919 during the foundation of the national university, which had the aim of providing instruction fully in Estonian. It was not easy because it took time to establish a scientific community who had a command of Estonian, at first they had to accept that lectures were conducted in Russian and German as well. Initially, several concessions were made to lecturers who did not speak Estonian and these were also specified in the University of Tartu Act adopted in 1925. According to this, professors were allowed to give lectures in Russian or German for 5 years and by the permission of the Ministry of Education this period could be extended for another 3 years. Most researchers managed to learn Estonian within the time permitted by the law but two professors of the Faculty of Medicine had problems with this: Georg Barkan and Ernst Masing. Barkan, who was elected professor of pharmacology of the University of Tartu, was a talented German researcher with good organisational skills. Unfortunately, he did not learn Estonian so as to speak it at the level required for teaching in Estonian during the time permitted by the law. Several Estonian colleagues also opposed Barkan, and, based on the law, he had to leave the University of Tartu despite his fierce protests. Ernst Masing was a Baltic German who managed conversational communication in Estonian but did not consider his language skills sufficient for the lecture hall. After the establishment of the Estonian-language university, he was the first professor of the Faculty of Medicine who was commissioned. However, during this busy time—the autumn of 1919—, the matter of his language of instruction was not specified in writing and years later this caused misunderstandings. When Masing was required to give lectures in Estonian in 1934, a compromise was made and a 5-year permission was given for him to teach in German. Unfortunately, Masing also had to leave the University of Tartu in 1939 when the Baltic Germans were called back to Germany.

Tartu Ülikooli ajaloo küsimusi, No 44 (2016): Rahvusülikooli omad ja võõrad