Grandmaster Dzianis Lazavik: "The Belarusian language is dying out. I don't speak it at all, and with whom would I?"
Belarusian grandmaster Dzianis Lazavik answered a question about his attitude towards the Belarusian language. This happened in a podcast where both speakers conversed in Russian, writes Tribuna.
«I don't speak Belarusian. It's not that I'm completely in this sphere, but my position is that, clearly, the language is dying out. And without some serious state intervention, it will, naturally, eventually die out completely. Well, there will be some number of people in villages who speak Belarusian or, as it's called, Trasianka.
We don't want state intervention where if you speak Russian in a shop, you get hit with a stick: 'No, speak Belarusian.' If something like that happens, then one might consider that it could become the sole state language again and generally remain in use. But otherwise, a few decades — and you won't even hear it on trolleybuses [when stops are announced].
I understand Belarusian, but I don't speak it at all. In that regard, I wasn't very lucky with my teacher. And as for learning it somehow — I don't know. I had such a desire once, but it takes a lot of time. And with whom would I speak it — that's also unclear.
And to specifically start speaking only Belarusian... Well, right now we would (the end of the phrase is spoken in Belarusian — Tribuna.com) be speaking Belarusian...
In my opinion, it's inconvenient for everyone. Like, people having to strain to understand. Why is that necessary?
In this regard, I watched some debates. There's a Russian blogger named Alexander Shtafanov. And he debated precisely about the Belarusian language. My position on this aligns with his (Shtafanov, who studied at school in Vitebsk, stated that one can "either reconcile oneself to the fact that the Belarusian language is dying out, or resort to state violence." — Tribuna.com).
Well, simply because it's impossible to restore [the Belarusian language] without serious intervention. This, as a rule, ends badly. And why it's necessary — it's unclear. That's it," Lazavik said.
Now 19-year-old Dzianis Lazavik became a chess grandmaster back in 2022, at the age of 16. He is the youngest Belarusian to achieve such a peak. In 2023 and 2025, he won the Belarusian championship. He also gained fame thanks to successful performances in blitz and rapid tournaments online (including on Chess.com) and in international competitions (Champions Chess Tour, etc.).
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