It is no secret that one hears Russian in the streets increasingly often these days. While this might be less noticeable in half-Russian Tallinn, the change is obvious to the ear in Tartu and Pärnu. Ukrainian is heard extremely seldom, if at all.

And next to Russian, voices lamenting Estonians going extinct are increasingly prominent. As if to counterbalance, business circles echo calls for a more relaxed immigration quota and lower language requirements, lest we fail to cope (which translates to, lest they make less money). It is still a competition of two visions, once described as "Estonia as a reservation" versus "the European Singapore."

First, let us talk about language and proficiency, as language is the main thing setting Estonians apart from everyone else. But simply speaking the language does not an Estonian make. There are more than a few people in the world who speak Estonian but are not Estonians and have no plans to become one.

Secondly, language proficiency, including that of Estonian, is a practical matter. Even Marx and Engels knew that language is a practical, conscious activity, which grows out of the necessity to communicate with others. That said, I place little faith in proficiency ratings – the A2s, B1s and what have you.

Practical experience tells us that what language courses offer is in some way removed from effective spoken language. Simply because everyday communication is not really part of the curriculum, which tends to concentrate instead on written grammar and textbook dialogues, the latter being at best loosely based on actual language use.

And while we may say that actual proficiency will improve as the person gets to work, that is only the case if Estonian communication is indeed part of the job. I'm rather certain that a bus driver will still fall woefully short in terms of the Estonian they'll need after a crash. Not just because they're nervous or in shock, which makes it harder to use a foreign language in the first place, but because they'll simply fail to recall words they once studied but have not needed for many years, as they've simply not been involved in an accident before.

That is the situation today. But politicians tell us that we must always look for the big (or was it the long?) picture.

The birth rate is modest in Estonia, meaning that there will be increasingly fewer so-called Estonians by blood. The latter concept is rather fragile to begin with, usually understood as a person whose parents and grandparents were of Estonian descent. But what if we go further back? It is likely that most Estonians today are the offspring of the once integrated. This brings us to the miracle recipe of "integration."

Yes, aliens are voluntarily coming to Estonia. But are they coming here just to make money? Or do they wish to become Estonian? Or do they intend to import their language, culture and laws, as the Muslims are trying to do in Europe? Can Estonia manage to avoid the formation of ghettos and the violence that spreads from them? Sweden, Germany, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom etc. have not. But ours is an integration powerhouse, right? And magic has achieved great things in the past, right? Though mostly in the circus...

Let us look beyond. Will those who come here raise their kids and grandkids to be Estonian? We don't know, nor is there a way to know. It makes no sense to even try and hypothesize, because today's conditions and convictions might mean nothing at all a few decades from now.

There is another "but" in that integration is a two-way street. Will Estonians continue to want to be Estonian, or will they seek to integrate elsewhere? Estonians have been adept at integrating, as evidenced in the status of Estonian refugees. Besides, these days, you don't need to go anywhere to integrate into another culture and language.

There are thousands in Estonia who are properly integrated into the English language and U.S. culture. They presumably still consider themselves Estonian for now. But how will they bring up their kids? A precondition of survival is for our kids to feel Estonian and take pride in the fact, Ene-Margit Tiit has suggested. While it is a beautiful thought, do they? And what is ever more important, do they wish and dare to be proud?

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