Tajik Language to Receive Boost
Parliament is to review a new language law tightening up the use of Tajik in public life.
Tajik Language to Receive Boost
Parliament is to review a new language law tightening up the use of Tajik in public life.
Tajik has been the officially-designated “state language” for the last 20 years, but Russian remains widely used, especially in urban areas and by officialdom.
The bill would make it a requirement for citizens to learn Tajik, and make its use mandatory in government institutions and in public signs, such as on billboards.
Reporter Shahodat Saibnazarova interviews academics who complain that even people who use the language on a regular basis commit errors in speech and writing, as do journalists writing in the newspapers.
Writer Abduhamid Samadov argues that having a good knowledge of Tajik should be a matter of national pride.
The draft law has, however, caused controversy in the press. There is some alarm that it makes no explicit provision for Russia as the lingua franca. However, others note that the constitution clearly states that this is the case, so Russian retains its special status.
The bill would make it a requirement for citizens to learn Tajik, and make its use mandatory in government institutions and in public signs, such as on billboards.
Reporter Shahodat Saibnazarova interviews academics who complain that even people who use the language on a regular basis commit errors in speech and writing, as do journalists writing in the newspapers.
Writer Abduhamid Samadov argues that having a good knowledge of Tajik should be a matter of national pride.
The draft law has, however, caused controversy in the press. There is some alarm that it makes no explicit provision for Russia as the lingua franca. However, others note that the constitution clearly states that this is the case, so Russian retains its special status.
