For many Slaves, this day was to be historic. The law on the designation of the Silesian language as a regional language was to close the long-standing conflict for symbolic alignment with Kashubian and the right to talk "after us" not only at home, but besides at school, office and public space. alternatively of Christmas, however, the veto came.
Karol Nawrocki announced that he did not intend to be a "notary of the will of the parliamentary majority" and stopped the bill, arguing this with, among others, fear of breaking the state's cohesion and complicating the legal system. Local leaders and activists took the decision as a slap on the full region, not just the Members who voted the bill.
For the people of advanced Silesia, it is simply a substance of identity: designation that their speech is not just a "gwara to the kitchen", but a full-fledged way of describing the world, with its own grammar, vocabulary and literature.
Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk: dialect, but with full rights
In an interview with Wprost, the linguist Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk admits that he disagrees with many vetoes of the current president, but in the case of Silesia he understands his doubts and "adopted to the arguments" behind the decision.
– I disagree with many vetos by Karol Nawrocki, but in this case I agree with his arguments. If I were him, I would do the same," says Bralczyk.
In his opinion, the key lies in the discrimination between technological position and legal status. From the position of most linguists, Silesia remains a dialect, a variety of Polish language, although very distinct, with clear influences of German and Czech. Just due to the fact that she's a dialect doesn't mean she needs to be treated stepmotherly.
Prof. Bralczyk besides pointed out in his interview with "Fakt" that it was possible to go another way: not to change the description "dialect" to "language", but to give the Silesians full powers – educational, publishing, institutional. In another words, not to argue about definition, but to warrant rights. Schools, textbooks, local media, supporting authors writing in Silesian – all of this could be written in the bill, even if the title did not include the word "language".
– The question of the right to teach and operate this variety in public space remains. This could be addressed differently: not changing its position into a language, but giving it full powers as a dialect, including education, publishing, organization and other," the linguist stated.
This position is convenient for the president due to the fact that he takes any of the force off of it: 1 can say that the veto was not aimed at the Silesians themselves, but in a concrete way to capture it. For many people in the region, however, it is simply a purely theoretical discrimination – the effect counts, and this 1 is simple: the bill will not be.
What's next with the viola?
Veto doesn't close the story. There are respective possible scenarios. Parliament can effort to improve the law to focus not on the name itself, but on the catalogue of rights: from education to culture funding. You can besides return to the subject in the next term, hoping to change the political agreement and a fresh beginning with the Presidential Palace.
However, the most likely option is the daily, bottom-up work of the Silesians, who have been creating literature, music, media and online content in Silesian for years. It is this practice, not the signature of 1 document, that determines whether the Silesian region will be a living, modern communication tool, or just a moving addition to household anecdotes.
