<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">(Apologies for cross-postings!)<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The Institute for the Languages of Finland, known as Kotus, is under attack. After its resources have continuously been cut in the last few decades, the ministry of education is now suggesting further "restructuring" which would seriously endanger the essential functions of Kotus and, ultimately, the future of national language planning, language counselling and other essential services. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The suggested "reform" would cut Kotus in two, placing the "functions pertaining to language issues", dictionary work and those libraries which are "in daily use" into a new unit on "Education and language", connected to the Finnish National Agency for Education, while the archives and library collections "not in daily use" would be combined with the National Library of Finland. It seems that the authorities have not understood how severely the budget cuts are already affecting the central functions of Kotus, such as national language planning. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">For more information (in Finnish), please read the petition at <a href="http://www.kotikielenseura.fi/kotus/" class="">http://www.kotikielenseura.fi/kotus/</a> and consider signing it.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Best</div><div class="">jl<br class=""><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">--</div><div class="">Univ.Prof. Dr. Johanna Laakso</div><div class="">Universität Wien, Institut für Europäische und Vergleichende Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft (EVSL)</div><div class="">Abteilung Finno-Ugristik</div><div class="">Campus AAKH Spitalgasse 2-4 Hof 7</div><div class="">A-1090 Wien</div><div class=""><a href="mailto:johanna.laakso@univie.ac.at" class="">johanna.laakso@univie.ac.at</a> • <a href="http://homepage.univie.ac.at/Johanna.Laakso/" class="">http://homepage.univie.ac.at/Johanna.Laakso/</a></div><div class="">Project ELDIA: <a href="http://www.eldia-project.org/" class="">http://www.eldia-project.org/</a> </div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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