To some Appeals and Petitions for Protection of the Slovak Language

In the paper the author pays attention to appeals and petitions for protection of the Slovak language, especially to Appeal to protection of the national language from 2006, which was signed by several cultural workers as well as some linguists, and Appeal to responsible state organs, institutes, politicians and Slovak public from 2007 signed by various cultural and social organizations. Both are a reflection of view of the not professional public as well as some type of linguists on possibilities of the intervention into language, but also into the dynamic and stability of language. According to signatories of these appeals the Slovak standard language deteriorates and has an indeterminate future. The author agrees with the statement that the language is changing (its norms are changing) but he refuses view that it deteriorates. In this case the problem is whether this fact is or is not accepted. The author shows that we have to aim to describe norms of language in connection with our traditions but we have to be able to drift apart these traditions in cases where the language itself and its live norms awaken us.