{"id":43227,"date":"2011-02-28T10:46:12","date_gmt":"2011-02-28T09:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sorosoro.org\/?p=43227"},"modified":"2025-10-21T23:14:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:14:45","slug":"february-28-2011-law-for-better-recognition-of-linguistic-minorities-on-slovakia-triggers-debates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sorosoro.org\/en\/2011\/02\/february-28-2011-law-for-better-recognition-of-linguistic-minorities-on-slovakia-triggers-debates\/","title":{"rendered":"February 28, 2011: Law for better recognition of linguistic minorities on Slovakia triggers debates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Relationships between Slovakia<\/strong> and its minority languages aren\u2019t yet quite as sound as can be, hence the debates around a bill<\/strong> introduced by Slovak Deputy Prime Minister for Minorities and Human Rights, Rudolf Chmel.<\/p>\n

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In an article published on February 28<\/strong>, the English Slovak paper The<\/em> Slovak<\/em> Spectator<\/em><\/strong> explains that the aim of this law is a better recognition of the several minority languages<\/strong> spoken in Slovakia. Currently, the language of any given municipality has the possibility to claim official recognition if it is spoken by at least 20% of the population. The amendment would lower this quorum to 15%, and also enable the use of these languages within administration<\/strong>. Thus creating conditions for all minorities to \u201cfeel at home\u201d, justifies Mr Chmel.<\/p>\n

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Slovakia is a multi-ethnic state counting (apart from the official language, Slovak) nine minority languages<\/strong>: in descending order by number of speakers, Hungarian, Romani, Czech, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, German, Croatian, Polish, and Bulgarian.<\/p>\n

This law will help over 70 municipalities<\/strong> establishing an institutional form of bilingualism<\/strong>. But this measure is likely to benefit mainly two languages: Romani (which would become official in 86 municipalities instead of 56 so far) and Ruthenian (113 instead of 68). Hungarian will only be slightly affected: two additional municipalities to the current 500.<\/p>\n

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Despite the extra budgetary cost implied by this amendment considered close to \u2018negligable\u2019 by Rudolph Chmel, the newly official use of some of these languages, especially Romani, will call for additional infrastructure in places like post offices or health-care facilities. \u00ab Another highlight of the law is that it introduces fines<\/strong> for those official bodies that fail to observe it \u00bb, adds the Spectator<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Voices are heard around the Deputy Prime Minister reminding that there remains a human-rights aspect to the use of minority languages, which is guaranteed by the Slovak Constitution. \u00ab Spreading and receiving information in one\u2019s mother tongue, and the use of the mother tongue of a member of a national minority in official communication is a constitutional right and an international obligation <\/strong>\u00bb says Kalman Petocz, director of the human rights section of Chmel\u2019s office. \u00ab There have not been conditions for use of minority languages, and the aim of the proposed law is to create those conditions \u00bb he reckons.<\/p>\n

This law is now in the hands of the Slovak parliament.<\/p>\n

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Full article in the Slovak Spectator<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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