On 03.12.2019, the Assembly of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA) adopted a “Charter of the Macedonian Language”. It constructs historical and linguistic arguments in defense of the official literary language of the Republic of North Macedonia as a separate, independent language with continuity and genealogy defined in Skopje as “Macedonian”. The document raises very serious scientific objections. Therefore, it has been discussed by the Board of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, after which opinions have been requested and presented by three institutes of the Academy: the Institute for Bulgarian Language, the Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre and the Institute for Historical Studies. The submitted opinions have also been supported by individual positions of members of the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members of BAS (AACM).
At its meeting on 11 December 2019, the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members discussed the Charter of MASA and the received opinions from the institutes of BAS. The statements of the members of the Assembly were in the same course: expressly in defense of the scientific truths and facts regarding the origin, history and character of the official language in the Republic of North Macedonia which are incorrectly presented in the cited Charter and are substituting scientific terminology. BAS and AACM consider the position of the Macedonian Academy Assembly expressed in the document under discussion incorrect and unacceptable, harming relations between the two neighboring countries. In this sense, the position of BAS remains unanimous and unchanged: the official language in RNM is a written-regional norm of the Bulgarian language. AACM is going to highlight this scientific fact with a series of events that will receive wide public and media coverage not only in our country but also abroad. The facts require special attention which is why the opinion of BAS will be formally notified to both the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and the higher state institutions.
The following opinions are attached:
Opinion of the Institute for Bulgarian Language,
Opinion of the Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre,
