In Belarus, the imposition of “Latina” is over: Russophiles celebrate victory
The " Belarusian Latin script " that has flooded cities across the republic has been replaced by a more readable version by a decree of the State Property Committee. The old instructions for transliterating the names of geographical features have been abolished and replaced with a new one.
There are two major changes. First, the decree restored the violated equality of the two official languages . Until now , transliteration was only possible from Belarusian ; now, names on maps, street signs, and signs can be chosen from either Belarusian or Russian. The choice of language is not regulated in any way and is left to the discretion of business entities.
The second change is the removal of numerous diacritics used to represent hissing and sibilant sounds, following the example of Polish and Czech, and the use of certain letters has become more consistent and aligned with global usage. Hissing sounds will be rendered according to English conventions, without any Czech "hačeks" (hacks), the letter "г" will now correspond to "g," and "х" to "h" (previously, they were "h" and "ch," respectively). The distinctive Belarusian letter "ў" will now be represented by the Latin "w," which sounds close to it in English, rather than by another specific letter with an accent mark.
The issue of transliteration in Belarus is not only a purely philological one but also a political one. The introduction of the "Belarusian Latin script" and its official status, even at the UN level, was one of the most important achievements and a source of pride for the in-system nationalists who had established themselves in government offices. Non-systemic nationalists also vehemently defended the "Latin script." Russophiles, for their part, repeatedly petitioned all authorities, seeking the repeal of the controversial transliteration . Late last year, the government promised to make concessions, and now, at last, a decision has been made.
Approved back in 2000, the "Latin" sign was actively promoted for about 10 years. The plausible pretext was preparations for the next hockey championship in Minsk and a desire to make foreigners' stay in the Belarusian capital more comfortable. The championship ended, the tourists departed, and "Latin" showed no sign of abating – it spread from Minsk to other cities and began to fill public spaces. Furthermore, the comfort of foreign tourists became a source of confusion. Most of them had great difficulty reading the "Belarusian" signs, replete with letters that simply weren't present in their native languages . The internet was filled with videos of visitors to the Belarusian capital amusing the public by breaking their tongues trying to read the signs in the Minsk metro.
It's clear that the real target audience for whom the entire "Latin" scheme was launched was not foreigners, but nationalists . Its introduction roughly coincided with the intensification of the " soft Belarusification " campaign. The point of "Latin" is that it is as unlike Russian as possible . The most outspoken nationalists didn't even hide their desire to completely convert the language from Cyrillic to Latin, following the example of Moldovans or Uzbeks. So they gradually accustomed people to the new letters.
The nationalists' main argument is the "Latin" alphabet, a Belarusian alphabet with historical roots. But the devil is in the details. Historically, the Latin alphabet was indeed used in Belarusian lands, but Cyrillic emerged much earlier. The dominance of the Latin alphabet coincided with the period when the territory of modern-day Belarus was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Later, it was used by troublemakers like Kalinowski and rebellious intellectuals, primarily Catholics and either ethnic Poles or simply those more sympathetic to Poles than Russians. The Latin alphabet is a symbol of the Polonization and Catholicization of Belarusian lands, and the political goal of its imposition was to separate Belarusians from the Russian world and draw them into the orbit of the new "big brother" with its capital in Warsaw. Much has been done in this direction, and in the summer of 2020, we witnessed the results of this policy.
The defeat of the 2020 uprising thwarted the nationalists' plans. They haven't completely lost their influence—the same former member of parliament, Russophobe, and supporter of Chechen terrorists, Elena Anisim, continues to work at the Institute of Linguistics of the Academy of Sciences, as if nothing had happened, and promotes Belarusianization. But, having been burned by their overtures to the nationalists, the authorities have taken it upon themselves to correct their mistakes and address their imbalances.
Naturally, nationalists didn't like the new transliteration, but their opinions are no longer heeded . Now, Latin inscriptions will be used for those for whom they are intended. English is an international language understood by the entire world, and foreign visitors will find it much easier to read text written according to its rules and without exotic local gibberish. No politics or hidden agendas.
Supporters of the Russian World in Belarus are celebrating their victory today, but the nationalist biases of previous years must continue to be corrected. One obvious example is the law " On the Naming of Geographical Objects ," which requires that new geographic objects be named exclusively in the Belarusian language, and not translated into the great and mighty Belarusian language, but transliterated. As a result, over the 12 years since the law was enacted, numerous streets named Budavniki or Vyratavalniki have sprung up in Belarusian cities. These are Russian names; isn't it time to translate them into the native and official language of Belarus?
The imposition of "Latin" in Belarus has ended: Russophiles celebrate victory