A group of scholars in China is calling for the removal of English words from a respected Chinese dictionary, saying their presence is harming the purity of the Chinese language. China’s Xinhua news agency says the scholars have signed a petition arguing that the latest edition of the Modern Chinese Dictionary violates Chinese law by […]
Chinese Scholars Upset with Dictionary for Including English Phrases
Posted August 30th, 2012 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
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Ukraine Protests Continue Against Language Law
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Several hundred people are protesting for a second day in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, after parliament passed a bill that would make Russian an official regional language in mainly Russian areas of Ukraine. The bill was pushed through parliament Tuesday by supporters of President Viktor Yanukovich, who draws his support from the Russian-speaking east. The […]
Turkey to Introduce Elective Kurdish Language Classes in Schools
Posted June 12th, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
The Turkish government has announced plans to introduce Kurdish language classes at public schools as an elective course. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the move in parliament Tuesday as an “historic step,” as the teaching of Kurdish had been previously banned in schools. Mr. Erdogan’s government has been under pressure from the European […]
Ukraine’s Parliament Backs Language Bill Amid Protests
Posted June 5th, 2012 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
Thousands of demonstrators massed in Ukraine’s capital Tuesday, as parliament backed a controversial bill that would make Russian the country’s second language. An estimated 6,000 people gathered outside the parliament building in Kyev. The crowd was divided in half between those for and against the draft law. A VOA reporter on the scene, Ruslan Deynychenko, […]
