Azerbaijan Switches to Latin Alphabet From CyrillicAzerbaijan adopted a new alphabet Wednesday, switching from Cyrillic to Latin letters, with the president saying he hoped this third switch in 75 years would be the last one for his Caucasus nation.The decree that came into effect Wednesday means all official documents, commercial signs and outdoor advertising, as well as Azerbaijani-language newspapers, magazines and books, must now appear in the Latin script. The Azerbaijanis, who for centuries wrote in the Arabic script, had to use Cyrillic for most of Soviet rule, except for a 1929-1939 experiment with Latin. Cyrillic, the old Slavic alphabet ascribed to Saint Cyril, is currently used in modified form for Russian, Bulgarian and certain other Slavic languages. "I hope independent Azerbaijan will never exchange its Latin alphabet," President Geidar Aliev told reporters. The decree has stoked controversy in Azerbaijan. Proponents of the change say the Latin alphabet is better suited than Cyrillic to languages in the Turkic family, like Azerbaijani. Supporters also say it will strengthen ties with the outside world. But some Azerbaijanis fear it will marginalize the nation's many Russian-speakers and cause a rift in society. Some newspaper editors have accused the government of trying to hinder the press with the change. Aliev, whose government has stifled much dissent in recent years, dismissed the charge Wednesday. Aliev also called for halting the demonstration of Western films dubbed into Russian, saying all movies should be dubbed into Azerbaijani. |
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