Archive:Ulaŋŋo Gaágunqqu

Úlaŋŋo Gaágunqqu (UG, Achiyitqan: /úlaŋŋò gâ:gunq:u/) is a sociopolitical movement within Achiyitqan politics and society that pushes for the development and adoption of linguistic standards throughout the country. Beginning in the 1940s, it is credited with the success of many widescale standardization projects, and its legacy endures to this day, although the popularity of the movement to push for further projects has waned.

UG enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum, although it was most widely espoused by those of a nationalist bent, and most of its historical successes are still viewed in a positive light by the majority of the population, with movements to undo them rarely garnering much attention.

Efforts

Successful

Standard Achiyitqan (1940s—60s)

The Standard Achiyitqan language was formalized with an intent towards neutrality. It was based primarily on a dialect found in then-central Achiyitqana, making as much use as possible of features that were common throughout the dialects, and, to some extent, archaic features which were lost in many modern dialects. As such, at the time of its introduction, many felt it was unnecessarily complex, and an unfair burden to place on speakers of the most common natural dialect, Tsaavalu.

Part of the efforts of standardization also involved the removal of many loanwords, as well as the complete eradication of any dialect-specific neologisms—these were replaced by carefully and 'logically' crafted new terms. This process primarily affected STEM and medical fields.

Renaming (1970s & early 2000s)

As part of the linguistic reforms noted above, politicians adhering to the UG movement determined to select single, official names for cities and other locations, and important historic figures. Typically these names were chosen from a list of existing names used by the entity in question, although they were sometimes re-derived to match with the new standard language.

A second wave of renaming occurred in the early 2000s, these related instead to the names of foreign languages and countries. New names that more closely resembled the foreign entities' endonyms were chosen.

Metric (1980s)

Although the traditional systems of measurement used in most of Achiyitqana were already base-10, units were rarely equivalent to the international standard metric system. The adoption of the metric system created a schism within the movement, as this was antithetical to the nationalism that was the principle motivation for many of its followers.

Controversies and schisms

The reasons for supporting UG have brought it followers from all over the political spectrum, who sometimes do not see eye-to-eye on the specifics of certain standardization projects.

In its early days, it was marred by controversy when people in certain positions of authority, especially within the educational and legal system, enforced the use of the new Standard language to extreme degrees. NAME 1, one of the most prominent leaders of the movement, spoke out publicly against this treatment, stating that the purpose of standardization was to offer an additional language with which to facilitate national communication, not to replace or remove the native languages.

Stubs Achiyitqana