Just to clarify things a bit right now.
==Linguistics==
In Belarusian informal usage, word "pravapis" (literally, "orthography") is often denoting "grammar".
* So, when the "it's only orthography" grammar is trotted out for the "ignorant foreigners", one should keep in mind that there are really plenty of differences in other branches of grammar and in lexicon, too.
The introduction of these differences was motivated primarily by ideology, which is not at all hidden in Belarusian-language publications, and leaks into the English-language publications, internet included. You could see plenty of political labels words like "Russification", "Stalinist", "Narkamauka" and "historical justice".
The net effect is we have two variants/branches of Belarusian language.
* Notice how I'm not saying *anything* about the ideological soundness or scientific veritability of the alternative branch. All I'm saying now is these two branches diverge, linguistically, while at the same time bearing the name "Belarusian".
** Also notice that comparisons with British/American or German are very lame in this context. In those, ideology doesn't enter the picture, while here it's the basis, and the drastic divergence is intentionally introduced here.
==Normative==
Now, it's completely no wonder that quite a part of the Belarusian language community is completely dis-interested in the mission of promoting "the only true and classical" variant of Belarusian language.
People just want to create a Wikipedia content in their native language.
Incidentally, as their native language is Belarusian, there is around a state-sponsored, widely-known, school-taught, state-status, iso-coded, standard Belarusian language. Incidentally, it is quite adequate for the stated purpose.
So, there is this alternative branch of language, and it has numerous supporters in Internet. So what?
Why should Belarusian speakers be *forced* to "maintain the unity" with something, in which they are completely *dis-interested*, and which is completely *un-needed* for the task stated?
Now there is this be-x-old which is now submitting for the renaming to be-tarask. One linguistic entity -- one WP. Quite fair.
=="Unity"==
What kind of "unity" is envisioned by the be-x-old crew, was clearly demonstrated by the 2004-2006 experiences in the old [[be:]], which were at least once exposed in this list, in the May-June 2006.
The alternative Belarusian speakers which comprise the majority of old [[be:]] crew simply *hate* the normative variant of Belarusian, and that's the start and the end of it.
Of course, they could not explicitly forbid the "Stalinist Narkamauka", not without hurting themselves, but there are plenty of ways for the adminning group to discourage the creation of undesired content.
All attempts to reach some more balanced solution failed, and no wonder. Looking back, and accounting for the ideology backing the alternative, those attempts were doomed from the very beginning.
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