Player

Listen or Download:

Friday, February 16, 2007

Tolerance reduces need for Russian language law in Ukraine

This Eurasia Daily Monitor article may indicate hope for the survival of common sense ... and the Ukrainian language in its own country.

One reason why the language issue is not a priority for most Ukrainians is that tolerance of language diversity is different from the election rhetoric of politicians intent on capitalizing on the language issue. The Russian language dominates in Ukraine’s print and Internet media, while television has a greater degree of Ukrainian-language content.

Full article here.

2 comments:

Admin said...

Great article. I hope people have the common sence to keep Ukrainian the only official language. Unfortunatly, younger people are pseaking russian. I think Ruslna is the best encourager for Ukrainian speaking people.

Pawlina said...

Well, it will take some time for the Ukrainian language to rebound from centuries of state oppression.

However, I read recently that there are also many young people who consider speaking a Ukrainian quite chic and fashionable.

You're right that artists like Ruslana help the cause. Likewise the Orange Revolution helped. The diaspora could also help by financially supporting indigenous attempts to preserve and promulgate the language.

The easiest way to do it is to buy Ukrainian language books and music. Give them as gifts, too!

Featured Post

Giving Tuesday - Worthy Ukrainian (and other) causes to support

After the excitement of Black Friday and Cyber Monday subsides, along comes Giving Tuesday. Also known as the Global Day of Giving, or in Uk...