PROCEEDINGS OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Power, language, history

https://doi.org/10.53231/LZAV.23.2.4
Keywords: language policy, Soviet occupation, German occupation, russification, language of instruction, translation, language of the press
Language: In Latvian

The article examines the essence of the language policy in different periods of occupation, which is reflected in several recently published collections of articles, in order to trace both past and still current issues in this field. These questions are discussed in the most detailed way within the context of the collection of articles prepared by the Latvian Occupation Museum, Language and Power. Language, Linguistics, and Cultural Policy Since 1940 (hereinafter — Language and Power). The book examines the initiatives of the German and two Soviet occupations to introduce their own language policy elements, as well as the opposition to such a policy. Although today some historical events are no longer highly controversial in language disputes (e.g., street names, linguistic landscape, translations), there are issues, especially in education, record management, and public relations, that still give rise to diverse opinions and conflicts. Other collections on periods of occupation discussed in the article generally give less emphasis to language politics, although in some cases more
careful research on language issues could deepen the historical analyses presented.