Who speaks Belarusian? The langue situation in the Republic of Belarus

The article presents the current situation of the Belarusian language and of its speakers. The analysis is based on the empirical material collected with the use of ethnographic methods in the period from 1998 to 2005 and in 2010 as well as on the information found in the professional literature on this subject and on the Internet. The article explains why Belarusian is seen not only as a communication code, but also as a stigma and a manifestation of political views and how this situation shapes the attitudes towards the language. Additionally, the article presents the efforts focused on the promotion of Belarusian language and culture undertaken by informal groups, such as “Spajemstvo” or “Let’s Be Belarusians!”. The article also shows the difference between the perceived and real use of Belarusian in everyday life.