Lukashenka stages New attacks on our language!

[KatkouskiV]

>Germany just underwent a spelling reform, and the Supreme Court upheld it
>in protest from the parents from Bawaria if I am not mistaken. What would
>happen in Germany, if the old spelling was used in some publications? They
>probably would get sued and if they are periodicals tehir licences might be
>revoke. I don't know, I am not a lawyer.

Belarus' and Germany's spelling issues are very different. In Belarus during
the Stalin's times the authrities fought against nationalism and one of their
attacks was aimed at the language: the 1933 decree introduced the new rules
of spelling that made Belarusan a lot closer to Russian. The differences
are not huge, but substantial. The two big issues are (1) soft consonants
and (2) spelling of foreign words (Europa, not Ieuropa like in Russian;
Hazeta, not Gazieta; Mit, not Mif; Apateoz, not Apafeoz, ).

There are several smaller
linguistiic issues which reflect how people speak, one of them for example
the endings in Genitiv (zhyhary Miensku, not zhyhary Mienska). Also the
usage of "u neskladavae" and "i karotkae" is different. And, finally, certain
vocabulary was banned.

Overall, the current (1933) version is called Nrkomauka and is a russified
version of Belarusan.  Tarashkevica is the true language of the people that
reflects (1) historical reality and (2) how native speakers really pronounce
/talk.

Now. The legal issue is very clear. The law on mass media (Zakon Ab Druku)
has very vague sentence about the language: "All mass media must use
commonly accepted (ahulna pryniatyja) norms of the language." Nowhere in
this or other legal documents it is said what should be considered
"commonly accepted." Considering total disregard of Lukashenko's regime
towards democratic approaches, it is clear that they will use this
"commonly accepted" term to their advatage -- choosing the meaning they
want.

>A dissident movement should follow the letter of the law. Then it becomes
>obvious that the oppressive regime is trying to discriminate against the
>opponents.

Read the previous paragrpaph, and you will see that the law has not been
broken, because the law does not answer the questions of spelling.

>Similarly, when dissidents in the Soviet Union were prosecuted for the drug
>use, what was there to say? They did use the drugs. And the fact that they
>were singled out because they were dissidents could hardly be used as a
>legal defence.

Alina, you must be totally out of touch with the situation, if you sincerely
believe what you wrote. The only intelligent oppositional newspaper there
is is Nasha Niva. The people that work there are of great integrity and
intellect. They manage to publish the newspaper that is ultra oppositional
and very nationalistic, and AT THE SAME TIME very calm, very considerate,
witty, and oriented towards intellectuals.


>
>Alina Israeli
>
>

 Uladzimir Katkouski
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