Russia’s new state dictionary calls authoritarianism the ‘most effective’ form of government and bans the word ‘ass’ — Meduza
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In April, Russia introduced a new Explanatory Dictionary of the State Language of the Russian Federation, compiled at St. Petersburg State University and immediately added to the official list of normative dictionaries that government agencies are required to use. In November, The Barents Observer noted that the dictionary’s authors say “some” definitions were coordinated with the Russian Orthodox Church’s legal department and prepared under the oversight of the Justice Ministry. They state outright that these entries are meant to reflect the “traditional spiritual and moral values” outlined in the presidential decree on state policy principles. The dictionary also cracks down on profanity, expanding the list of “offensive” words to include such linguistic threats as ass, shit, and fart. Meanwhile, it omits some words entirely — from “Gulag” and “Stalinism” to “faith,” “hope,” “good,” and “truth.” Below are some of the most illustrative entries from the new “state dictionary.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46204638

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Russia introduced a new Explanatory Dictionary of the State Language of the Russian Federation, compiled at St. Petersburg State University and immediately added to the official list of normative dictionaries.

Some examples:

authoritarianism … considered the most effective form of governance in difficult times for a country …

marriage … family union between a man and a woman … same-sex marriage (a homosexual intimate union between a man and a man or a woman and a woman, condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church and not supported by the Russian state) …

enemy … One whom the sovereign authority has deemed hostile to the people, the government, or the state. An ideological enemy. A sworn enemy …

humanism … traditional Russian spiritual and moral value: a worldview based on the principles of the value of the human person, human dignity, respect for others, concern for their well-being, the right to freedom, equality …

life … traditional Russian spiritual and moral value: the period of a person’s existence from conception …

unity … unity of the system of public authority. The historical unity of Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians. The unity of the peoples of Russia (a traditional Russian spiritual and moral value) …

ideal … Moral ideals (a traditional Russian spiritual and moral value: high moral principles and convictions that inspire and guide a person toward goodness, justice, honesty, compassion, and other virtues, with strict rejection of destructive ideologies that allow immoral conduct, actions causing suffering, corruption, and other unlawful deeds) …

limitrophe … in 21st-century Europe: a state used as a buffer between Western Europe and Russia, which is politically, economically, and culturally incapable of being independent …

regime … set of political, economic, and social measures used by state authorities to govern society … the Kyiv regime (in Ukraine since 2014: the established form of political rule, which poses a threat to the fundamental rights and interests of the Russian-speaking population) …

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    It’s very effective… At suppressing people, taking away liberties and rights… I mean, they’re not wrong

    It’s also highly effective at waging senseless ears that destroy the future of the entire fucking country, and then adding a touch of genocide on top of that