Long way to go before Kurdish becomes official language

Long way to go before Kurdish becomes official language







According to a study by the Turkish Parliament's research center, some changes should be made in the Constitution and in 18 relevant articles of law to enable the government to allow the use of an official language other than Turkish. The prospects of such changes, however, appear far away at the time being.

In Turkey there are many laws stating that the official language of the country is Turkish. In the case of allowing languages other than Turkish to be used, laws regulating political parties, elections and associations would need to be amended as they contain strong prohibitions on the use of any other language.

Parliament decided to conduct a study of official languages used in the world's parliaments after a controversy was sparked by a speech delivered by Democratic Society Party co-chairman Ahmet Türk, partly in Kurdish, during a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 24, 2009.
The report was based on research into countries such as the US, France, Armenia, Algeria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Latvia. In many countries, only one official language is used, and this is stipulated by law. In some countries, such as Algeria, even computer hardware and equipment which does not allow printing in the Arabic typeface are forbidden from being imported. In India, Canada, Ireland and Finland two official languages are used. But even in such countries, there are still some strict rules about using two official languages. It seems the country most comfortable about its official languages is Canada.

No regulations exist in either the constitution or law about the official language in Germany but diverse German dialects are used. Belgium, whose official languages are Dutch, German and French because of its three-region state structure, and Switzerland, whose official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansch, were not in the scope of the research.
Here is the Parliament research center's summary regarding the countries' official languages and their usage:

US: Although the English Language Unity Act has been drafted, this law is still being debated in Congress. No language other than English is used in official correspondence.

GERMANY: There is no definition of Germany's official language. No laws about official language exist as it is accepted that language should maintain its own development. There is a custom of using regional languages in the federal parliament.

ALGERIA: There is a special law to extend the use of Arabic. It is obligatory to use Arabic in all public corporations and associations and in the names of media organizations and in international agreements.

ARMENIA: According to its official language law, Armenia's official language is Armenian. Minorities living on the border of Armenia are free to use their mother tongue. The language used in education is Armenian, but minorities taking compulsory Armenian lessons are authorized to learn their mother language. For representatives of the country, knowing Armenian and using it in international meetings is obligatory, and public agencies are forbidden from communicating in any other language.

ESTONIA: According to the Republic of Estonia's language law, the official language is Estonian. All languages except Estonian are given the status of foreign languages. Public enterprises, local authorities and associations with an autonomous status are obliged to use Estonian. During the EU process, minorities were granted the right to use their mother tongue.

FINLAND: According to its language law, Finland's official languages are Finnish and Swedish. Law courts, government agencies, local authorities and autonomous organizations use both

Finnish and Swedish. The choice of how and which of the official languages will be used is determined by population density. Finnish is used in publishing and in legislation.

FRENCH: On the basis of the constitution and in accordance with the act concerning the use of the French language, French is used in official corporations and associations. It is obligatory to use French when a product is produced, named and exhibited and it is forbidden to use any other language in audio-visual advertisements. It is imperative to use French in meetings held in public areas and in public corporations and associations as well as public transportation vehicles. French translations of all kinds of magazines and news published in different languages are compulsory. French is the language of education and examinations. In addition to this, using a language other than French is restricted in the judicial sphere.

INDIA: According to the Official Languages Law, English and Hindi are the official languages. English is used in official acts and parliamentary activities. Correspondence between federated states which do not have Hindi as an official language and the central states which do are written in English. Hindi is used both in correspondence with countries which accept Hindi as an official language and with countries which do not, although translations are made in this case. In public associations and in parliament, both languages are used.

IRELAND: According to the official language law, while Irish or Gaelic is the priority language, English is accepted as a second official language. Official language authorities appointed by the president officiate over the use of Irish in public institutions to guarantee the use of the language.

CANADA: In Canada, the official languages are English and French. In parliamentary business, both languages are used, as they are in international correspondence and court procedures.

LATVIA: The official languages act states that Latvian is the official language. In respect of this act, in which there are some regulations about the protection of the language, minorities are not prohibited from using their mother tongue although it is compulsory for them to learn Latvian. It is obligatory to use Latvian in public enterprises but not in unofficial correspondence, communication and services which are religion-based.

LITHUANIA: According to the language laws of the Republic of Lithuania, the official language is Lithuanian. To use this official language is obligatory in official corporations and associations, courts and local governments. Those who do not know enough Lithuanian cannot work in public corporations. Within the scope of the Lithuanian Parliament, there is a Language Commission which checks public bodies to determine whether or not they are using Lithuanian.

POLAND: According to the Polish language act, the official language is Polish. Special laws exist to protect the Polish language, and it is obligatory to use Polish in public corporations and associations.

SLOVAKIA: According to an act of the Republic of Slovakia, the country's official language is Slovak. In religious ceremonies and rituals the language determined by the church or other religious associations is used. The government is obliged to teach Slovak to all citizens. The codification of the official language is the task of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.


30 July 2009, Thursday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA