And what about the leading role of the state language in society? Specialists who carried out the state order also presented some theses questioning this role.
Here is how they characterized it:
"The actual use of the Latvian language and linguistic relations do not correspond to the model of a single language; the parallelism of Latvian and Russian in informal communication hinders a consistent state language policy. Language use is determined not only by ability but also by social norms and habits, and the current growth in skills has not led to a proportional increase in usage."
Therefore, experts recommend, "it is important to ensure the practical implementation of the state language in the public space."
For this, it is necessary to:
- firstly, "strengthen cooperation and monitoring of institutions";
- secondly, "expand the environment of the Latvian language in culture and digital content" (hello to the contributors of the Swedish bank, which recently discarded the native language of a significant number of its clients in their electronic communication),
- thirdly, "introduce a unified model for language acquisition for newcomers and those with temporary protection status among Ukrainian civilians."
All of this was demonstrated by a state-funded research project titled "Vectors of Social Cohesion: from Cohesion around the State Nation (2012-2018) to a Cohesive Community of Citizens for the Sake of the State, Society, and Individual Security (2024-2025)" – which was recently presented in parliament.
