The new government has proposed a bill concerning what official languages our great kingdom will use in the future. English and Swedish are currently our official languages.

Still, the latter has been somewhat marginalized since English has been used in everything from judicial documents to national websites. Maintaining bilingual websites, records, etc., has proven to be too much of an administrative burden.

Alternative for Unixploria (AFU) proposes to end the English hegemony as a de facto language. Most citizens in Unixploria Proper have Swedish as their native language, and AFU wants to use Swedish instead of English for all official communications. Colonial subjects of the Unixplorian Empire are advised to learn Swedish to remain citizens of the Kingdom of Unixploria.

The Opposition pointed out that we are an international kingdom needing a Lingua franca. The new policy presented is a new direction, a leap in the opposite direction since the previous government legislated to keep English as the preferred official language. This new turn could overthrow the long-prevailing linguistic paradigm.

According to Björn Tingstedt, a spokesperson of AFU, it is much more challenging to get a job and support yourself without knowledge of the majority language. “Being fluent in the majority language is the key that unlocks the full potential of the Unixplorian society,” he said in an interview.

The Swedish language and the Scandinavian cultural heritage are keys to unlocking a prosperous homogenous society. Solely using English hinders building a harmonious nation of shared values and origin.

Using two languages sounds like an easy solution to our kingdom’s dilemma, but according to Mr. Tingstedt, it will be too costly and inefficient to maintain. It has been tried in several macro- and micronations without success. The majority language has always prevailed, giving minority languages nothing more than legal protection but no actual status as a fully functioning national language. According to spokesperson Tingstedt, “Our priority as a government will be to honor our cultural heritage, language as well as traditions.”

This new proposal would affect our society profoundly, but the most significant changes would be seen in our interactions in the digital sphere.

The bill is still under debate, and according to credible sources, several members of AFU still need to make up their minds, questioning the consequences. A new proposal must withstand the test of time. So, AFU has asked all members of parliament to leave suggestions on how to continue forward in accord.

More news on the parliamentary negotiations will follow.