Ukraine became independent almost three decades ago and many changed their language from Russia to Ukraine. The Russian invasion has accelerated the transition. The Ukrainian-speaking population of the country is trying to push for change by all means.
KIOVA Kievan travel guide Serhiy Savchenko begins all his guided tours in Ukrainian with the same words.
In his guided tours, Savchenko will present the gems of architecture in the Ukrainian capital.
Until more than five years ago, his working language was Russian – partly at the request of the employer, partly due to circumstances. According to Savchenko, information about the historical sites of Kiev has traditionally been transmitted in Russian.
He was born into a Ukrainian-speaking family, but began to speak Russian outside of school, as most of his peers did. In the eighth grade, Savchenko decided to continue to use the Ukrainian language everywhere.
In working life, the Russian language seemed logical to Savchenko, as Kiev was a city influenced by many Russian writers.
– I felt that Kiev is a sophisticated city that can only be described in Russian. But not really, Kiev can and should speak Ukrainian. It will only become more sophisticated and authentic.
Gradually, Savchenko realized that if only Russian-language stories are told about Kiev, much of the city’s history, culture and traditions will be left out. According to Savchenko, Ukrainian writers are introduced with shame and prefer to talk about well-known Russians, such as the author Mikhail Bulgakovista.
Savchenko’s customers have been calm about the language exchange. A small part no longer wanted to come, but his walks were discovered by Ukrainian-speaking Kievans who had not previously been offered such.
Recently, Savchenko noticed that he was inspiring his clients to switch to the Ukrainian language.
– There will be people on my tours that I remember from my previous tours in Russian. Now they are talking to each other and to me about Ukraine, even though no one has asked.
The war reshaped the range of language lessons
Several Russian-speakers have moved to Ukraine with the war.
Many fled from eastern Ukraine to the western part of the country and decided to abandon or at least reduce the use of the language of the invading state. For those who do not yet know enough of Ukraine, free language courses are available in Lviv.
The groups meet every week.
– We do not give lectures like at university, but we practice practical language. Every hour has a separate topic, for example, a visit to a shop or pharmacy, religious celebrations or traditions, says the project coordinator Maritška Tsymbaljuk.
On the other hand, there is no talk of a home in class, as it can be a sensitive and painful topic for those who have lost or left their home. The organizers of the project want learning Ukrainian to bring people joy, and so it seems to do.
– The lessons are very interesting and playful. We read interesting books and talk to each other. It’s just a way to rest from everyday life, says the student Natalja Bugaj.
He himself is from Eastern Ukraine and has lived in a Russian-speaking environment all his life. When he had to flee to Lviv because of the war, he wanted to use Ukraine more in his daily life.
In Ukraine, the mother tongue is a conscious choice
The Ukrainian language has had a long and difficult history as a builder of national identity. In the Russian Empire in the 19th century, the language was systematically discriminated against, for example, by calling it a Russian dialect or by prohibiting the printing of non-fiction in Ukrainian.
In the early days of the Soviet Union, a national awakening was allowed in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian language has rapidly developed into a language of civilization, art, science, and intellectuals. But later, when all Soviet citizens had to be merged into one nation, the linguistic rights of the Ukrainians began to be trampled upon again.
After independence in the 1990s, Ukraine became the only official language. In a 2020 survey, 73 of Ukraine’s population considered Ukraine to be their mother tongue, but only 53 percent said they use it in their daily lives. About a third spoke Russian as their mother tongue.
However, studies in Ukraine show that the mother tongue is a conscious choice for Ukrainians. Many Ukrainians who grew up and lived in a Russian-speaking environment say that their mother tongue is Ukrainian, even if they use Russia more often than Ukraine.
“They see no other option”
The fact that a large number of people give up their mother tongue and move on to another is rare in world history, says a visiting researcher at Michigan State University, who studied the language situation in Ukraine. Irina Zajkovskaya. The last time this happened was in the 1930s, when the German Jews fled the National Socialists.
– It is completely understandable that those who have experienced such a huge trauma give up the language of the attacker. They see no other option for themselves, Zaykovskaya says to in a video interview.
The Jews moved from Germany to the languages of their new lands. Ukrainians, on the other hand, are moving to the official language of their home country, which many of them consider to be their own language.
In recent years, many bloggers have started talking about Ukraine. They have shared their experiences of changing languages. Since the outbreak of the war, many public figures known as Russian have also switched to Ukrainian.
Not everyone is ready to give up Russia altogether. This does not discourage language course providers. Maritška Tsymbaljuk, who teaches in Lviv, estimates that as many as a third of her students will also start speaking Ukraine at home.
According to the linguist, there are many reasons to stay in a familiar language. Some have learning difficulties. For example, some have elderly parents who do not speak other languages, and others are not ready to give up childhood memories acquired in Russian.
– Unfortunately, the war deprives people of the opportunity not to think about their own mother tongue, to speak it without being associated with the attacker, says Zajkovskaya.
Serhiy Savchenko estimates that linguistic change is a slow and difficult process, but vital for future generations. He hopes that Ukraine will also be heard more in Kiev, which is traditionally considered to be mostly Russian-speaking.
– In my opinion, Kiev, which has always been in Ukrainian, despite the myths of the Soviet era, will soon be mostly in Ukrainian again. For it is the capital of Ukraine – was, is and will be.