Turkmenistan or Turkmenistan, in Ukraine or Ukraine, Moldova or Moldova? These grammatical dilemmas perplex many citizens and give rise to heated debates, which very often flow into the political plane. In this article we will consider one of such examples: the Republic of Belarus or Belarus - how to write and speak correctly?
8-letter state
The country that will be discussed in this article is located in Eastern Europe, in temperate latitudes. This is one of the former republics of the USSR. In general, the "legs" of the problem, how to write and speak correctly - the Republic of Belarus or Belarus, "grow" precisely from the Soviet past.
This sore point regularly pops up in various forums and social networks. Moreover, discussions on this subject are very often held not between philologists or linguists, but between "pro-Russian" and "pro-Westerners", gradually turning into cheap politicking.
In fact, the answer to the question "How to say correctly: the Republic of Belarus or Belarus?" not hidden as deep as it might seem. Let's try to answer it in this article.
Curiosity with Dmitry Medvedev
In 2009, at a meeting with reporters, Dmitry Medvedev (then he was president of the Russian Federation) was advised to correctly name the neighboring country. Literally, it sounded like this: "8 letters, the fourth - and, in the end - a soft sign." Although the remark was comic, the head of state promised to restore order and put a bullet in the question: “The Republic of Belarus or Belarus?”
Soon the Minister of Justice of Russia came to Minsk to discuss all the nuances of the problem with the country's leadership. He also promised that special letters with detailed explanations would be sent to all government offices and other important instances of the Russian Federation.
Nevertheless, most of the journalists in Russia took such recommendations as a “hit” on the press. That is why, in 90% of Russian media, the neighboring state continues to be called "Belarus." What can I say, even if in Wikipedia, which a priori should be an objective and competent resource, this country is signed that way.
The Republic of Belarus or Belarus - how is it all right?
More recently, Yandex contacted the VV Vinogradov Russian Language Institute with the same question . The request was formulated as follows: "The Republic of Belarus or Belarus? How to spell the name of this country, according to the norms of the modern Russian language?"
Researchers at the Institute sent a detailed and reasonable answer.
It stated that both options have a right to exist. However, it is worth distinguishing between the household level of communication (colloquial speech) and the official. The Republic of Belarus is the official name of the young state, which appeared on the map of Europe in 1991. It was it that was recorded in all relevant official documents, including in Russian. Based on this, at the official level, this term should be used exclusively. We are talking about television, print media, official documents, public speaking, Internet resources, etc.
In addition, there is the so-called "All-Russian Classifier of the World", which was approved in 2001. Recent changes to this document were made in January 2014. It presents in alphabetical order all the states of the world, and also indicates their correct names. And in this classifier it is also quite clearly and unequivocally written: "Republic of Belarus". The same applies to another former country of the socialist camp - the Republic of Moldova (it is correct to write this way, not Moldova, as many people mistakenly say).
The Republic of Belarus or Belarus: the roots of the problem
Why did this problem occur at all? And where do her “legs” grow from?
The fact is that a country with the name Belarus officially existed in the recent past. Rather, it was a republic within the great power - the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (or BSSR). It was in those days that the roots of this linguistic problem are rooted.
Scientists and philologists from Belarus take this question especially acutely and painfully. And they very much hope that in the near future their country in the post-Soviet space will be called correctly.