The Latvian language is the foundation of the Latvian state, said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs in an address on State Language Day on 15 October.
“The Latvian language helps those who hold Latvia dear to understand one another and grow closer. A strong language builds a secure Latvia. And a rich language creates a rich nation,” he said. “We are rich. Latvia has so many brilliant writers and poets! Both the old masters and the pioneers of the latest trends in literature. Both those who entertain and those who provoke. Thank you to everyone who writes, speaks and sings in Latvian every day, and does so correctly, beautifully and captivatingly! This is the perfect day to appreciate Latvian authors and read a work by one of our own writers or poets.”
“Let us protect the Latvian language – in doing so, we are also protecting our beloved Latvia!” said the President.
Latvian Public Media is organising a dictation in Latvian on State Language Day, 15 October. At 11.05 am on Latvian Radio 1, LTV1 and the LSM.lv website, the dictation text – “Average Sentence Length – Two Hours”, written by the poet and literary scholar Ivars Šteinbergs – will be read by Raimonds Celms, an actor from the Latvian National Theatre.
State Language Day has been celebrated on 15 October since 2021. This date was chosen because on 15 October 1998, the constitutional status of the state language was enshrined in Article 4 of the Constitution.
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