You Say Euro, I Say Eiro :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: You Say Euro, I Say Eiro

Posted by admin on Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 07:11 PM

The European Central Bank is trying to curb varying spellings of the word euro. But Latvia, which has fought hard to keep its own language, says no amount of EU rhetoric will change it back from eiro.

<em class="caption">All is not well in the house that euro built

Latvia's government has decided to change the euro to fit their language, in which Europe is Eiropa and euro eiro. But the European Central Bank and other EU bodies have told the country it has gone too far. Latvia should use the standard written form when it adopts the currency in 2008, the EU says.

Latvia, however, has remained steadfast, saying it will take the issue to the European Court of Justice if necessary. It's a matter of protecting both national heritage and EU ethics, according to Latvian Education Minister Ina Druviete.

"It's not an issue of monetary policy. It's an issue of Latvian language policy, and we have to protect our languages," said Druviete. "The motto of the European Union is unity in diversity, and languages are the most specific representation of this diversity. I regret that officials from European institutions were so ignorant because it's not a detail. Language is a representation of national identity, and any interference in such a subtle sphere would have very serious consequences."

Battle for Latvian

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