Which language is the closest to Ukrainian?

[Lilchuck]

I was born in Ukraine but for a long time I live in USA. And I gotta say that here in USA you can here the wierdest ukrainian ever. I mean that in NYC most people speak russian that's why many ukrainians that come there start to speak ukrainian-russian and it sounds really bad. Sometimes it is even hard to understand. So while I lived there my language became the same but when I moved to Chigago..... Oh my God....People there speak really very old ukrainian so for me it was hard to understand.

[benda]

I can say basing on my experience: the closest language to Ukrainian is Belorussian.

[Shukach]

Just so that everyone knows, there are groups of Slavic languages divided as East Slavic, West Slavic and South Slavic. The groups are formed on the basis that the languages in them are most alike. Ukrainian, Byelorussian, and Russian are in the East slavic group and are most alike. This does not mean that other slavic languages are not understandable or share common words, but the most alike are the ones in the same group.

BTW is not the mixing of Ukrainian and Russian called 'Surzhyk' in Ukraine? It was the way former president Kuchma talked.

[benda]

Belarussian is the closest to Ukrainian because they both are based on the speech of plain people - peasants, workers. Russian is less based on that thing - it's "purer" - if you understand what I mean.

[ricardo]

I have to say this to people sceptical about Ukrainian language despite all the uprooting and political repression that went on for generations I was able to communicate in Ukrainian (before I ever spoke a word in English and I am Spanish speaker) with a person who migrated to Australia from Kharkiv via Germany and my parents were from Volyin and Zhytomir so much for Ukrainian language regional differences.
I don't mind to speak Russian but Russians seems to have a superiority complex which just doesn't cut with me nor their dismissive and paternalistic attitude wins any support from others. Pity!

[benda]

We call it "elder brother complex". Russian language is considered to be higher in ierarchy of Eastern Slavic languages. Belarussian and Ukrainian are almost equal.

[Kathy]

I disagree vehemently with the view that Russian is higher in the "hierarchy" of Slavic languages. What exactly does this mean? Is Russian more expressive than Ukrainian? I don't think so. Are there more speakers of Russian? Absolutely, but if that is the criteria for a "hierarchy", Russian is far down the list worldwide.

Both Russian and Ukrainian are rich in various ways. Russian literature from the past is more interesting, but today, Russian literature is, for all intents and purposes, dead. The most interesting contemporary literature that I've read (in translation) is Serbian.