Activities of Silvia Gašparovičová
   

Equality of the Roma language with other languages of national minorities in Slovakia

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Roma language came on 29th June 2008 into the Hall of Literary Languages. In the historical building of the National Council of the SR in Bratislava was this language officially standardized by signing the Declaration of Roma of the Slovak Republic. Roma in Slovakia will learn and use a single united form of the Roma language. The way of standardization, however, was not easy as also the czech scientist in Roma issues Mrs. Eva Davidová indicated. According to her the today’s young people can not even imagine it.

Equality of the Roma language with other languages of national minorities in Slovakia

The ceremony attended also the slovak First Lady Mrs. Silvia Gašparovičová. As she stated, "after today the Roma language can be taught broadly at the needed level in schools. I am glad that after so many years we were able to reach our aim – to get the Roma language equivalent to other languages in Slovakia." According to Mrs. Gašparovičová it is important to allow minorities to be educated in their mother tongue, but we don´t have to forget also the official Slovak language that is the key to communicating with all the inhabitants of Slovakia. The coordinator of the long process was the Office of the Government´s Representative for Roma Communities. Standardization of the Roma language was already launched in 1954. It was codified in 1971 when the language commission adopted a binding written standard Slovak Roma language dialect.

Equality of the Roma language with other languages of national minorities in Slovakia

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© 2005 Office of the President of the Slovak Republic.