The Slovak Language Law: Hungarian reaction

[Poltergeist]

Hungary attacks Slovak language law

04.08.2009

Slovak officials will no longer be using special Hungarian keyboards

http://www.euranet.eu/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/english-images/hungarian-keyboard/412018-2-eng-GB/Hungarian-keyboard_medium.jpg
Slovak officials will no longer be using special Hungarian keyboards

Hungary has launched a diplomatic offensive against Slovakia's new State Language Act, which it claims discriminates against the Hungarian-speaking minority in the neighbouring state.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry will appeal to the United Nations and the Council of Europe over the Slovakian law, which states that public servants must use only the Slovak language or risk of a 5,000 euro fine. Meanwhile, a delegation of Hungarian MPs plans to visit key European cities to draw attention to the language law and its possible effects on the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, who make up 10 percent of the country’s population.

Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom has accused Slovakia of a "forced attempt at assimilation" and accused it of breaking EU human rights laws.

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak denied claims the law was discriminatory and complained that it had been the subject of a “blatantly misleading campaign" in the international media.

The controversial law was passed in June this year and will come into force this September.

http://www.euranet.eu/eng/Today/News/English-News/Hungary-attacks-Slovak-language-law

Typically Slovak. Their aim is to erase the millennarian Hungarian history of today's southern "Slovakia", this being only one of the steps in that direction. Slovaks in their efforts to steal Hungraian culture go as far as to appropriate some of the Hungarian historical figures for themselves. Thus Ferenc II. Rákóczi, the Haungarian freedom fighter form the beginning of 18th century, becomes "František Rakoci" in some sick chauvinistic heads.

Complaining to the international organizations and to the UN is not the best way to resolve such issues though. It should be dealt with in mutual talks or negotiatioans between states, with pressure employed if necessary. And Hungarians should self-organize better to preserve their endangered identity.

[Treffie]

I didn't realise that 10% of the Slovak population were Hungarian speaking, quite a sizeable minority. Provision should be kept for them of course, otherwise it will appear that the Slovak Govt is actively encouraging the demise of the language.

[Nationalitist]

Slovakia:thumb001:

[Poltergeist]

Slovakia:thumb001:

Now you are acting as a lowbrow addict and provoker, on the level of Jan Slota.

[Nationalitist]

Ľudovít Košut, shut up

[Poltergeist]

Ľudovít Košut, shut up

One more Slovak invention, that Lajos Kossuth was a Slovak. In fact, "Slovak invention" is almost like a pleonasm. All he said was that he learned to recite "Our father" in Slovak when he was young and mad Slovako chauvinists, bent on appropriating to themselves everything, invented the story that Kossuth was a "Slovak" (an ethnic category that didn't even exist at that time, only the Slovak language existed and it was spoken by many people who had Hungarian national consciousness).

PS. Shut up, Slota!

[Nodens]

I didn't realise that 10% of the Slovak population were Hungarian speaking, quite a sizeable minority. Provision should be kept for them of course, otherwise it will appear that the Slovak Govt is actively encouraging the demise of the language.

Or we could simply accept that modern European political boundaries are about as relevant to contemporary Nationalism as Roman provincial boundaries.

[Horka Ozul]

Or we could simply accept that modern European political boundaries are about as relevant to contemporary Nationalism as Roman provincial boundaries.

Those 10% are as real as I am Tony Blair :p. In fact there are about 20 to 30% of magyars in Felvidék/Slovakia. Only they are afraid, ashamed, uninterested to declare themselves as being hungarian in the censuses. Quite a large population of Slovakia has hungarian origin surnames, which were simply transformed into slovakian, thus from second to third generation these people forget that once their grandparents were hungarians and they will declare themselves as being slovaks. I respect slovaks because they have a way more patriotic and national conservative politicians, who transformed the young slovak state as one of the most flourishing economies in Europe. However I am outraged when I see how they actually stole a lot of major hungarian figures and symbols, since they didn't had no history until the 18th century when some evangelical priests started to build up the slovak identity, which in a few decades had won over most of the slavic population of Felvidék.