Linguists of Adygeya hadn’t stated their position yet (a note)

At the session of the council of “Adyghe Khase” which (as Natpress had informed) passed in Maykop on January 26th, there was only one linguist – professor Zulkarin Bliagoz. But the scientist (with respect for him) is not directly engaged in Adygeyan language: the basic direction of his scientific researches is bilinguism, i.e., which observed in the speech while learning Adygeyan and Russian languages simultaneously.

Absence of the scientists at that session, in our opinion, is an important fact. First, it describes their personal attitude to “Adyghe Khase”. We shall notify thus that Askhad Chirg, chairman of the organization, also heads the Adygeyan republican institute of humanitarian researches where the significant part of the scientists-linguists works. And, nevertheless, we shall repeat, they’d not considered necessary to be present there.

Second: the scientists consider that the catastrophic position in relation to learning of Adygeyan language at schools is guilty of nobody except for parents. Adygeyan language, they fairly say, should be learnt at home. So the school (and the law - accordingly) is not guilty that its graduates-Adygs do not speak their native language. The scientists are not guilty, too that Adygeyan language has no some comprehensible writing so far.

Meanwhile, the whole situation, apparently, should be obvious. The law (read - authorities) has made the scientists, the written language, “Adyghe Khase”, the schools, and the parents the way they are now. And now, to our greatest regret, they make the children quite the same.

… In the beginning of the 20th century when Bolsheviks decided to put an end to the general illiteracy, in the Adygeyan auls of Cis-Kuban, as well as on the rest Soviet territory, they organized researches on that subject. It was revealed, in particular, that 80 % of the Adygs of that time not only knew Koran, but even can write in Arabic. They, certainly, were written down into the category of the illiterate population because they were not able to do it on their native language. If you choose the criteria the Bolsheviks were guided then illiteracy in Adygeya will reach 70 % or even the same 80 %.

Natpress