Relentless quarrels on language / day
The situation is further complicated by the fact that representatives of various political forces are used to influence the electorate of language themes and to strengthen popularity. This was also the case recently when there were disputes about the languages of the public media and the learning of foreign languages in schools.
In order to hold the clashes of opinion, some basic truths should be remembered for everyone.
The most important of the basic truth is that the only official language in the Republic of Latvia is the Latvian language. As a result, Latvian citizens have the right to ask those non -Latvians who have chosen our country as their long -term residence, to manage the Latvian language at least at the level of communication at the level of communication and to use it in the public environment. Latvians in Latvia do not have to speak a foreign language with a medical person, a bank employee, a courier or a seller simply because the individual who lives and works in our country has not acquired Latvian. At the same time, you should not slip into illogical extremes. There are multinational sectors because this is the specifics of these sectors. Similarly, Latvian language skills cannot be claimed from tourists, foreign students and migrant workers who have come to Latvia for a short time.
In the context of politicized emotional disputes about Russian, it is quite tragicomic that Russian defenders have been unable to explain for about 35 years exactly what Latvian Russians who learn Latvian and apply it everyday? There are many non -Latvians in our country who, along with their native language, speak Latvian freely and who are in order with both identity awareness and achievements.
On the other hand, the image of a helpless senior who cannot learn the official language has long become a politicized symbol for the so -called Interfront ideology. For a generation, who is currently around 80-90, when Latvia regained its independence, it was only about 45-55, and according to modern understanding, it is an intellectually powerful age in which new knowledge can be acquired – as long as desired.
However, in order to strengthen the position and prestige of the Latvian language in Latvia, it takes a policy that includes not only the tips for everyday situations, but also support for Latvian literature and overall culture, scientific research and information in our state language. This is a wide field of work that still has a lot to do.
