Current issues
09.06.2022.
Everyone knows that the national flower of Latvia is the pipe, but the LVA is happy to have cultivated a different flower – one made of letters. Listen carefully, look for the correct letters and help the little bee pollinate the flower!
The game “Find the Letters!” is suitable for children of preschool and primary school age. Read more
09.06.2022.
The program is intended for students without prior knowledge of the Latvian language. Its aim is to help them acquire the basic language skills that are necessary for everyday communication in and outside the classroom.
The program is intended for three age groups: grades 1–3, grades 4–6, grades 7–12, and it is designed for one school year (two hours a week or seventy study hours in one school year). The program includes references and instructions on how to use the learning materials developed by the LVA.
You can access the program here. Read more
27.04.2022.
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27.02.2022.
We call on every resident of Latvia who wants to provide assistance to Ukrainians to register at palidziukrainai.lv
The people of Ukraine who come to Latvia fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine, are kindly asked to register at: palidziukrainai.lv to apply for support!
Information on the entry, stay, accommodation and job opportunities in Latvia is available on the website.
Single helpline +371 27380380
#SlavaUkraine Read more
06.10.2021.
For the fifth year now, the Latvian Language Agency has been offering diaspora children the opportunity to learn Latvian through distance learning classes. These Latvian language courses for diaspora students are free of charge. They are financed by the LVA from the Ministry’s of Education and Science budget program “State Language Policy and Administration”.
We urge everyone to apply for the vacant seats in the existing learning groups.
If you find a group that suits your child’s age, language skills, and schedule and want to apply, please write to LVA’s educationalist Linda Krastiņa by e-mail linda_krastina@inbox.lv Read more
06.10.2021.
The mind games “Hard nuts for Latvians all around the world” have become a long-awaited annual tradition, so we are pleased to announce
that applications for this year’s tournament start on October 4. Registration link: https://www.cietierieksti.com/pages/registracija.
Last year, 50 teams from 22 countries took part in the tournament, and the winners were “Cep4” (Belgium), “Pohjoismaa” (Finland), and “Salento Sievas” (Italy). Here’s some feedback from the teams: “We are happy to be able to participate in this project! We look forward to all rounds and creative challenges. We can’t wait for the next game!”; “Our family loves Hard nuts.”; “I really like participating in this quiz game, it’s very exciting.”; “Thank you for the lovely time we spent learning interesting facts about Latvia!”
We hope to see the old teams return and anticipate the formation of new ones – young people of the diaspora, families, friends, choir and dance groups, and everyone else interested whose home country is outside Latvia, gather together in teams and join the tournament! We remind everyone that the questions in the quiz are appropriate for both young people and adults – curious, adventurous, and fun-loving Latvians around the world. Read more
30.09.2021.
This 16th edition of the collection of popular scientific articles covers a wide range of issues related to various linguistic areas and how they function. The book will surely prove useful to both people who are interested in specific language issues and advice (how to use certain lexemes, grammatical forms, or punctuation marks correctly) and to people who prefer philosophical or historical reflections on the nature and role of language in society as a whole and our individual lives.
In total, the collection contains 12 popular scientific articles on topical issues about Latvian language practice, and these articles are grouped in several sections. One section is devoted to the relationship between language, society, and power, another – to language and speech, the third – to language and norms. The collection is supplemented by an analysis by the linguist Sanda Rapa, poet Kārlis Vērdiņš and philosopher Māris Kulis who examined certain words submitted to the Latvian Language Agency during its campaign “My most Latvian word”. The collection also includes a section on language consultations, a section on current events by the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Latvian Language Expert Commission of the State Language Center, a bibliography of the latest publications on the topic of language, as well as a humor column. Read more
29.09.2021.
One of the core values underlying citizenship, nationality, and the feeling of affiliation with a nation is language. For us, it is the Latvian language. To pay special tribute to the Latvian language as the sole state language in Latvia, President Egils Levits has suggested that we celebrate a State Language Day on this October 15 and every year and add it to the calendar of holidays, remembrance, and celebration days. This date was not chosen arbitrarily. On October 15, 1998, Article 4 was added to the Satversme as a constitutional value of the state: “The state language in the Republic of Latvia is the Latvian language.”
In anticipation of the State Language Day, the Latvian Language Agency encourages the population to join the campaign “What the Latvian language means to me is…”.
Any Latvian language user can participate in the campaign by submitting their answers to the question posed in the campaign via the website vards.valoda.lv. Everyone is invited to express their thoughts and insights on the Latvian language, by finishing the statement “What the Latvian language means to me is…”. In this way, we will gather a set of thoughts and insights from the users of the Latvian language, which will reflect our values, habits, and attitude towards using the Latvian language in everyday situations and fields such as education, culture, science, defense, health, and many other areas.
We begin the campaign by sharing the thoughts of the Minister of Education and Science Anita Muižniece and the Director of the Latvian Language Agency Jānis Valdmanis on the importance of the state language within society. Read more
26.09.2021.
As the European Language Day approaches, the Latvian Language Agency unveils the diaspora’s treasure hunt series “My
treasure in Latvia” on September 24, offering participants a unique treasure hunting competition. The Latvians of the diaspora have created and authored 33 hiding places in Latvia. We challenge you to find as many hidden caches in this series as you can by October 22 and win valuable prizes!
Unveiling of the competition “My treasure in Latvia” here.
Descriptions of the hiding places: https://coord.info/BMA77M8. Read more
26.09.2021.
The Latvian Language Agency invites everyone to take part in an annual series of events that celebrate linguistic diversity – the European day of Languages. Since 2001, the European Day of Languages is celebrated in the Member States of the European Union on September 26 of e
very year, and the occasion highlights European languages, linguistic diversity, and language learning. These events have been organized and coordinated in Latvia by the Latvian Language Agency for seventeen years. The European Day of Languages is usually very eventful with many events taking place both before and after September 26.
From September 22 to 23, everyone is encouraged to take part in the competition “iESkaties” that can be accessed remotely from the European Union Information Point at the Library of Saldus. The competition is held on the library’s website https://biblioteka.saldus.lv/esip-lapa/. Read more