"I'm a true linguistic geek." A 16-year-old schoolboy from India is learning Belarusian
In the English-speaking community, he greets with "Žyvie Biełaruś!" and uses the white-red-white flag, as noted by "Solidarity" publication.
An unusual post appeared in the English-speaking Reddit community:
"I'm a 16-year-old guy from India who is learning Belarusian. Ask me anything."
The author, under the nickname Unlikely-Wolf2390, started the publication with two greetings: "Žyvie Biełaruś!" and "Жыве Беларусь!"
In the comments, people started asking him about his origin, language knowledge, and, of course, why he chose Belarusian.
Some commentators became interested in why the teenager uses white-red-white symbolism instead of the official red-green flag. The guy explained his choice by his negative attitude towards Lukashenka's regime, its language policy, and the Soviet legacy.
Where did the Indian schoolboy's interest in Belarus come from? According to the teenager, he was born in India, comes from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, but spent most of his life in the USA. Recently, his family returned to India, where he continues his school education.
His native language is Tamil. Unlike Hindi, it belongs not to the Indo-European, but to the Dravidian language family. However, the schoolboy himself is particularly interested in European languages, their history, and mutual influence.
His acquaintance with the Slavic world began with Poland. The teenager became fascinated by its history, geographical position, and the peculiarities of the Polish language. Later, he made Russian-speaking acquaintances from post-Soviet countries.
According to him, it was Belarusian that turned out to be a unique link between the two cultural spaces that interest him - Polish and East Slavic.
"A language that needs protection"
The teenager believes that the Belarusian language has found itself in a vulnerable position in its homeland. Therefore, learning the language is a way for him to support its preservation.
When asked why he didn't choose the more widespread Russian, the schoolboy replied in Belarusian: "Now I'm only learning Belarusian."
However, the guy is not at all opposed to learning Russian. According to him, he is gradually mastering it by watching and reading materials, and he is also learning Serbo-Croatian.
Another commentator openly advised him to learn Russian as a more useful language. The answer was telling: "I don't just learn languages for practical use — I'm a true linguistic geek."
Understands history better than he speaks
The schoolboy himself modestly assesses his proficiency in Belarusian as approximately A1-A2, meaning beginner level. He admits that the history of languages often interests him more than conversational practice. However, he is now trying to change that.
When asked about the similarities between Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian, the teenager began to explain historical linguistic connections, gave examples of pronunciation differences, and drew attention to Belarusian "akannie" (vowel reduction). He also discussed Latin script and how some features of Belarusian writing resemble Polish ones.
In another comment, he mentioned Polesian dialects and linguistic transitions between Belarusian and Ukrainian.
Grodno, Brest, and Polotsk
His interest in Belarus is not limited to language. When one of the Belarusian users asked the teenager which cities in Belarus he liked, he replied: "Grodno and Brest due to their interesting history."
After Polotsk was mentioned, the schoolboy specifically looked up information about the city and became interested in its ancient cathedrals. He admitted that if there were no travel restrictions, he would gladly visit Polotsk. Then, in Belarusian, he asked his interlocutor if they would mind helping him practice the language. The Belarusian replied that he would be delighted.
Helps others learn Belarusian
In the discussion, other people willing to learn Belarusian were also found. A user from Ukraine asked the schoolboy what mobile apps, websites, or books he could recommend. The teenager explained that English-language resources are relatively few, but he still compiled a small list.
For grammar study, he recommended Linguardia. For conversational language — YouTube channels Budzma and Tutejszy Szlachcicz. Additionally, he advised the Belarusian-language Instagram account @zabiziapu. He concluded his answer with the wish: "I hope I was helpful, and good luck to you!"