Language

[johnstruthers]

I think, as a practical matter, the effort to stamp out Russian in Ukraine is, and will be, a failure. People will speak the language that serves their interests the best. The Ukrainian culture may have to rest its survival and continuation on something other than the language. To simply blame Soviet influence in this regard serves no useful purpose. It seems that Russian was the language of choice in many places in Ukraine long before the revolution. The current effort to broadcast only in Ukrainian and print only in Ukrainian has had an unfortunate effect: Many people are rebelling against it, as it is yet another demand of an unpopular government that doesn't, in itself, improve the quality of life.

[Yulia]

Actually, Ukrainian language is considered the most beautiful in Europe after Italian, and many people like it. In fact during Soviet times people spoke it more than now. Immigrants speak it in America. It's a good and descriptive language. Russian has a lot of swearing,(Ukr. swearing mostly comes from another languages, and it don't sound very adequate) that's it. And people there are swearing a lot more than before.

[StasUA]

Johnstruthers, I cannot agree with you on this one. Before revolution Ukraine was part of Russian empire, and Ukrainian people hated Russia, because Russian government made laws, to eliminate everything Ukrainian, they burned literature, russified schools, and killed Ukrainian patriots. Russian language cannot be of any discussion in Ukraine, that is a language which is a big danger to Ukrainian language. A langaueg is a base for culture, a country without a language is not a country withtout a culture, a country without a culture is no more a country. Russian language should be pushed out of Ukraine for at least 10 years, so people learn Ukrainian langauge and get used to it.

[Phillip]

Stas,
All I know is that in Ireland the schools teach Galic to the children in an effort to keep the language, or strengthen it.

From the people I have met it is just a burdon. It is forced down their throats at a time when they would rather be out playing so when they get older they want nothing to do with it. Do you see my point?

Maybe that is not true for all Irish people, and Ukraine is an entirelly different situation but I think it something to look out for.

[StasUA]

In Ireland it is some after school program, right? But Ukrainian situation is absolutely different, we're talking about making Ukrainian a regular everyday spoken in all families in Ukraine language.

[Phillip]

Alright Stas I accept your oppinion. I might never understand your situation, having personally never experienced anything like that.

I am not entering that debate.

However the situation is not 'absolutely different' as you say, because from what I can tell people in Ukrain don't want to forced into using any language.

I am not/won't tell you that Ukraine should speak Russian or otherwise. It is none of my buisness.

I am reacting to Johns point: "The current effort to broadcast only in Ukrainian and print only in Ukrainian has had an unfortunate effect: Many people are rebelling against it, as it is yet another demand of an unpopular government that doesn't, in itself, improve the quality of life".

Why is that so hard to believe?

[grandma]

John, many people choose Russian for their life. Every day I call to Ukraine, today FROM TERNOPIL they try to speak in Russian. And was very surprised that I speak Ukrain (I try to speak it in every ocasion I have). Em, the books I saw was in Russian, but it was awful stupid books. So if somebody refused Ukrain book to buy these...

But where you see a culture without language? If the language died, died the culture. Its a pitty to see a young people in Basque Country who try to speak their language (that is much more difficult than Ukrain for somebody who speak some slavic language), to preserve their culture. I am jealousy...