On February 18, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus hosted a solemn ceremony to award the winners of the National competition of scientific and research works "Cornflowers in a whispering language...", timed to coincide with the International Mother Language Day. Diplomas and valuable prizes were presented to the winners – 60 contestants from all regions of the country – by Vladimir Karanik, Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus.
In his welcoming speech, he noted the importance of today's event. "We are meeting on the eve of an important holiday for every Belarusian - Mother Language Day. The Belarusian language is not just a means of communication. It is the soul of the people, its history and cultural code that unites generations. Let your mother language sound in your families, at work and among friends, filling your hearts with warmth and a sense of unity! Dear participants of the scientific research competition "Cornflowers in a whispering language..."! I sincerely thank you all for your enthusiasm, talent and creativity. Looking at your interested faces, observing your inspiration and youthful enthusiasm, I am confident in the future of our language, our science and our country! I would like to thank the teachers who did everything possible for the success of their students. Today you can rightfully be proud of yourselves and the results of your noble work in preserving and developing the Belarusian language and culture! Thank you all for participating in the competition and congratulate the winners! Happy Mother's Day!” – noted Vladimir Karanik.
This year, 350 applicants from 378 general secondary educational institutions, vocational and specialized secondary educational institutions, as well as 1st-2nd year students of higher educational institutions took part in the competition. The largest number of works came from Grodno and Minsk regions – 86 and 84, respectively. The works were distributed across 8 thematic sections, reflecting the diversity of the participants' scientific interests: "Proper name in the linguocultural aspect", "National distinctiveness of vocabulary and phraseology", "Language of literary works", "Language of Belarusian old prints and manuscripts", "Native word in the dialogue of languages and cultures", "Peculiarities of translation", "Dialectal linguistic unit and context", "Modern Belarusian language". The competition committee selected the 60 best works for awards.
The competition is being held for the second time. Its main goal is to preserve the spiritual heritage of the people and improve the language competence of Belarusian-speaking participants, as well as civic and patriotic education. The event was organized by Yakub Kolas Institute of Linguistics of the Center for Research on Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature of the NAS of Belarus together with the "Culture" channel of Belarusian Radio and the scientific and methodological journal "Native Word".
