The recommendations compiled in the “Inclusive Language Guide” should rather be considered a limitation of freedom of speech

As the VVC noted to the LETA agency, the edition published at the end of March was not “approved and coordinated with any of the competent institutions”, such as the Latvian Language Expert Commission of the VVC, the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, or the Latvian Language Agency.

The guide mechanically summarizes the information available from various sources about inclusive communication in other languages, “incorrectly applying it to the Latvian language in general and its individual functional styles”, says the VVC.

In the assessment of VVC, several concepts, terms and names used in the Latvian language are proposed to be replaced by terms that are inappropriate in terms of form and meaning. Therefore, the recommendations given in the guide to avoid the use of certain words and phrases in Latvian should be evaluated “extremely critically”.

“Respectful treatment of other persons cannot be achieved with this kind of guidelines and language manipulation,” VVC believes, emphasizing that an inclusive approach should not distort language structures and world perception.

As reported, at the end of March, an inclusive communication manual in Latvian, authored by Veckalne, was published in Latvia. The guide explains what inclusive language is, emphasizes the benefits of such communication, and summarizes the most important recommendations and examples of inclusive language.

The author of the guide believes that more and more attention is being paid to respectful communication – the public’s ability to notice expressed prejudices and stereotypes is improving. Enumerating the possible benefits, Veckalne stated that the use of inclusive language not only reduces the feeling of discrimination or threat, but also creates a positive image of the organization and appeals to a wider audience.

According to the author, this is the first publication of its kind in Latvia. Until now, only the brochure “Inclusive communication in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union” prepared by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union in 2018 has been published in Latvian.