“Tarashkevitsa” to be forbidden in Belarus

The Belarusian “palatka” (the “house of representatives”) has adopted today a Draft Law on Rules of Belarusian Orthography and Punctuation in the second reading.

Introducing the draft law, Uladzimir Zdanovich, head of the Commission on Education, Culture, Science and Scientific and Technological Progress, noted “the document was prepared to regulate rules of Belarusian language, provide unity of orthography norms and simplify learning of Belarusian for students.”

Shortly before the first reading of the draft law, held on 24 October, minister of education Alyaksandr Radzkou said introducing the draft law that “the law will become an efficient means of unconsidered and unlawful using of “tarashkevitsa” in the press. (“Tarashkevitsa” is an alternative “classical” variant of Belarusian)

The minister said to the MPs the law was necessary to avoid an existing “mess”, and clarify the questions of Belarusian.

Head of the parliamentary Commission on Education Uladzimir Zdanovich said it was necessary to adopt a law, not a governmental regulation, because “a law provides punishment for violation of language norms, it is legal responsibility.”

Independent experts stand against the amendments to the law. “Legislating the new variant of orthography, we risk, because the law is incompletely worked out and untimely now. It is not the revival of “tarashkevitsa” that has become a jinn hindering the further development of the language. The problem is in errors in formed in 1930ies orthography, and these errors remain in the today’s official spelling, which are to be legitimated by the law,” linguist Vintsuk Vyachorka, one of the leaders of the Belarusian Popular Front party, said.

Commenting adoption of the draft law in the first reading, linguist Zmitser Sauko noted: “What concerns such a harsh, undoubtedly political decision of the “house of representatives”, it will certainly promote “tarashkevitsa”. As a result one banned national symbol – “tarashkevista” wil b eadded to the list of banned symbols – national white-red-white flag and Pahonya court-of-arms,” Zmitser Sauko thinks.

The draft law reverse the norm, according to which state institutions, non-governmental organisations and citizens of the republic of Belarus and foreign citizens must go by the rules of orthography and punctuation in common use, though this regulation was used only for “official attitude”.

“MP” Zdanovich said “nobody will punish people for incorrect words.” “But in ads (it is not official use), for instance, one should obey the rules. Newspapers will need to use Belarusian. I can only feel sorry for them. there are only two editions (Nasha Niva and Arche) which use “tarashkevitsa”, but they will have to obey the adopted rules after the law coming into effect, “ he said.

According to the draft law, names of supreme state bodies must be written capitalised.

In particular, new rules suggest that names of state bodies, organisations, enterprises, institutions as well as positions and titles should be capitalised. For example, after the draft law will be adopted, such words as “president”, “prime minister”, “constitutional court” will be written capitalised.