Belarusian Language to become language of European Union

Though Russian language prevails in our country after centuries of oppression, most Belarusians consider Belarusian a mother tongue. And when it is so, it means that many of us cherish a hope that once if nit us, then our children and grandchildren will speak Belarusian freely in school and in an office, in a kindergarten and in the presidential administration. And they won’t hear in response irritated: “Speak normal language”. And they will never be imprisoned for “using foul language”.

According estimates of the UNESCO, a half of the existing 6,000 languages of the world can lose the last native speakers in the near future. What’s the future of the Belarusian in 50 years?

Uladzimir ARLOU, a writer and historian:

“I think that in 50 years the Belarusian language is to become the single state language in Belarus, and at the same time one of the languages of the EU. Belarus is to return to Europe. Russian army forcibly drove out us from Europe in the end of the 18th century. However, considering the historical way of our country and nation, I am aware that Belarus would never be a monolingual country, as well as it would never be a mono-denominational country. But without the Belarusian language and culture we can lose statehood.

As for predictions on extinction and death of the Belarusian language, they have been being heard for a few centuries already. But despite of the most unfavourable conditions in the Tsarist and Soviet empires, our language has survived; founding its niches, subterranean vaults and labyrinths. And as soon as the situation was getting more favourable, even Belarusian generals started to speak it, as it happened in the beginning of the 1990ies. That is why I’m looking ahead with optimism, though a moderate one. If I didn’t have one, I would have stopped writing my books and engaged myself in something else.

Pyatro VASYUCHENKA, a literary critic, the head of the Belarusian language and literature chair of Minsk State Linguistic University:

“I see no reasons to predict death of the Belarusian language, as Belarusians are not unique in this universe of languages. More than 5,000 languages exist in the world today, and only about 200 of them have their written form. Posession of its own writing and a thousand-year-old literature like we have, is a guarantee that the language will survive in the post-globalization society. The Jews, who have restored the Hebrew thanks to written sources, have proved that.

There are forecasts that all national language would become one universal language. But such an interlanguage already exists. It’s English with all its dialects/ But it doesn’t interfere development of other languages.

Nations cares for the language not to disappear. France is the country which cares about its language most. They organize Francophone festivals everywhere. I think it’s a norm all nations would reach earlier than in 50 years.

Alyaksandr SHABLOUSKI, Cand. Sc. (Philology), senior research associate of Yakub Kolas and Yaknka Kupala Institute of language and literature:

“The Belarusian is to be the language of intelligentsia, of science and high literature. I am convinced that it is to overcome many obstacles. Probably, it won’t become an international one. But as a dialectologist, who regularly visits rural communities, I see that the situation today is not as serious as it is depicted.

The essence of the problem is that development of a national language and culture are totally natural processes. It’s important to support them, but they shouldn’t be hastened. That is why O am convinced: 50 years are enough for us to finally revive the national language”.

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2008/2/21/4086/