Lukashenka stages New attacks on our language!

[Alina Israeli]

>I am not sure that a majority of "distinguished Slavists" in America can tell
>us in which country the Belorusian language is spoken.  They are, after all, a
>notoriously Russocentric lot.
>
>I myself witnessed an embarrasing moment at my own university, which followed
>the lecture of a visiting Ukrainian scholar.  Our "distinguished Slavists"
>hooted and hollered following the exit of the Ukrainian speaker, who had dared
>to criticize Russocentrism and the role of the Russian language in Ukraine.
>
>You can expect litle sympathy for Belarus and the Belarusian language from
>sovietological American Slavists, who are desparetely trying to revive the
>dying field of Soviet/Russian studies in the US.
>
>Jan Piotrowicki
>
>KatkouskiV at praguemail.rferl.org (KatkouskiV) wrote:
>>Dear SEELANGers,
>
>>I was somewhat upset by the fact that the issue of the Belarus language
>>did not spur many answers at all. The upcoming battle in the court will
>>be probably the worst attack ever on the culture of Belarus, which is
>>under a great threat of being absorbed by the Russians. >I thought that
>distinguished linguists as most of SEELANGS >members are
>would be more responsive, maybe, you would forward protest >letters to
>the court.

I believe one could find many faults with American Slavists, but genocide
and linguocide are not among them.

As far as I remember the original posting by Mr. KatkouskiV, a dissident
paper was using an obsolete system of spelling for which it is being
prosecuted. So the problem is two-fold: 1. spelling; and 2. dissent.

Germany just underwent a spelling change and the High Court just upheld it
against the protest of the parents of Bavaria (or something like that, I am
not a lawyer). What would happen in Germany if a publication would start or
continue using a system which is no longer considered a norm? What does the
law say about it?

History has shown that it is best not to break any laws while being
dissident in a repressive society. I compare it with Soviet dissidents who
were prosecuted for drug use. Of course they were singled out because of
being dissidents. But how can one defend the drug use if it is illegal?

Alina Israeli