Bilingualism or tricodalism: Ukrainian, Russian and “Suržyk” in Ukraine. Analysis and linguistic-geographical mapping

Hentschel, Gerd; Taranenko, Oleksandr

doi:10.13173/ws.66.2.268

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The “old” Suržyk developed over many decades, at the latest since the late 19th century (Hentschel & Taranenko, 2021 ). Due to these differences in potential development duration, it is at least doubtful that a Russian-based “Neo-Suržyk” emerged as a relative stabilised subvariety, as a little more than 30 years is most probably too short a time period for such a development.…”

Section: Short Notes On the Data And On Two Possible Subtypes Of Suržykmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the hypotheses in the above-mentioned project on the Black Sea Coast is that the difference between a Ukrainian- and a Russian-based Suržyk is possibly much less strictly clear cut but rather gradual and transitional. This assumption is based on the findings in Hentschel and Taranenko ( 2021 ), who report a far-reaching bilingualism on the level of individuals, of course with asymmetries, based on socio-biographic and/or regional differences.…”

Section: Short Notes On the Data And On Two Possible Subtypes Of Suržykmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is reflected linguistically in the much stronger position of Ukrainian in the west and of Russian in the east and south (Black Sea Coast). However, it cannot be said that the country is linguistically divided into a Ukrainian and a Russian speaking part, as is sometimes suggested in the media (see recently Hentschel & Taranenko, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ukrainian and Russian in the lexicon of Ukrainian Suržyk: reduced variation and stabilisation in central Ukraine and on the Black Sea coast

Hentschel

2023

Russ Linguist

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The subject of this study is the so-called “Surzhyk”, a mixed Ukrainian-Russian variety used by millions of people in Ukraine, sometimes alongside Ukrainian and, less commonly, alongside Russian. More specifically, the focus here is on the lexicon, addressing the following questions: (i) To what extent is the mixed speech lexicon influenced by Ukrainian or Russian? (ii) Does the distribution of Ukrainian or Russian lexemes reveal a reduction in variation, i.e. patterns of stabilisation? In other words, are there tendencies for one of the two competing, synonymous, or functionally equivalent Ukrainian or Russian lexemes to prevail over the other?Many Ukrainian linguists have stereotypically claimed for years that the distribution of Ukrainian and Russian elements in Surzhyk is unpredictable, spontaneous, if not chaotic. It is worth noting that these opinions are not based on comprehensive, systematic empirical evidence and largely ignore theoretical developments in the field of code-mixing.In contrast, by means of a quantitative analysis of an extensive corpus and a focus on intra-sentential code-mixing, this study demonstrates that the majority of recorded lexical Ukrainian-Russian competitions exhibit a clear fixation on one of the two expressions, resulting in a reduction in variation. In these instances, one of the two expressions prevails extensively across the entire region of Central Ukraine and the Black Sea Coast. Surzhyk is evidently evolving towards a “fused lect”. A smaller portion of the examined instances reveals such stabilisation only in certain parts of the survey area, and another equally small portion exhibits widespread variability. In general, Ukrainian and Russian lexemes are roughly balanced in quantity.

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Section: Short Notes On the Data And On Two Possible Subtypes Of Suržykmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Short Notes On the Data And On Two Possible Subtypes Of Suržykmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ukrainian and Russian in the lexicon of Ukrainian Suržyk: reduced variation and stabilisation in central Ukraine and on the Black Sea coast

Hentschel

2023

Russ Linguist

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“…Clearly, these are just laymen's estimates, and, moreover, some respondents tended to overestimate their level of use for Ukrainian or underestimate it for Surzhyk. It should be noted here that the definition of one main language is, of course, a significant simplification, as shown in the study by Hentschel and Taranenko (2021); nevertheless, we use such a simplified model here.…”

Section: Respondents' Attitude Toward Uniting With Russia and Joining...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, in the west of Ukraine, the majority of the population speaks the Ukrainian language, often with noticeable dialect influences; in the east and south of the country (territories whose mass settlement began in the 18th century), the Russian language is widespread; but, in most of the territory of Ukraine, especially in the central regions, both the Ukrainian and the Russian languages are in wide use, as well as a mixed Ukrainian-Russian speech, called Surzhyk. (For details on the distribution of language codes in central and southern Ukraine, see Hentschel and Taranenko (2021)). Surzhyk arose as a result of long-term contact between Ukrainian as the language of the local population and Russian as the language of administration, education, the military, etc., so it does not act as a spontaneous mixture, but as a largely stabilized language code, with a predominance of Ukrainian elements in morphology and a significant influence of Russian in term of vocabulary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

East vs West: Geopolitical Orientations and Language Practices of Residents of Central and Southern Ukraine

Palinska

2023

Journal of Eurasian Studies

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The paper based on quantitative and qualitative analysis on data on language attitudes and geopolitical orientations obtained in Central and Southern Ukraine shows significant differences between two regions. The assessment of linguistic changes occurred after the collapse of the USSR in both regions is unequivocal: most participants in open interviews noted a positive trend for the Ukrainian language, including the expansion of functional spheres of its use (on television, in politics, in education) and its higher prestige in society. Post-Soviet changes toward the expansion of the use of the Ukrainian language were viewed positively even by predominantly Russian-speaking respondents, who opposed “Ukrainization” in other aspects. Based on the answers to the questions in the “Geopolitics” and “Identity” blocks of questionnaire, two types of respondents were identified using cluster analysis: (1) “pro-European” and (2) “pro-Russian.” The language preferences of respondents belonging to different clusters differed in the regions studied: while more Ukrainian speakers, both in the Center and in the South, mainly belonged to the first cluster, and more Russian speakers (to a somewhat lesser extent) to the second, speakers who used a mixed idiom known as Surzhik in the Center, were more “pro-Russian,” and in the South, more “pro-European” oriented. That can signal of differences in language attitudes and labeling regarding Surzhik in those regions of Ukraine.

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“Ukraine commits genocide on Russians”: the term “genocide” in Russian propaganda

Fortuin

2022

Russ Linguist

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According to Russia, the main reason for starting the war with Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was the genocide of the Russian-speaking population by the Nazi government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In this paper I investigate the Russian claims about genocide. These claims are shown to be part of the rhetorical frame Russophobic Nazi Ukraine government commits genocide on Russians, an aspect of Russian propaganda which builds on the Second World War. I demonstrated that this frame is itself an aspect of a more abstract frame, where any perceived enemy of Russia, is portrayed as a fascist or Nazi force that aims to destroy Russia and Russian culture. I investigate how this frame emerged and developed over time in five stages, starting in post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine, and in Russia after the Orange and Maidan revolutions in Ukraine. Russia tries to provide argumentation for the validity of the frame by referring to a number of objectively established facts relating to the situation in the Donbas, Ukraine’s language laws, and the presence of right-extremists in Ukraine. In doing so, some ideas are made more salient than others (the language laws that diminish the official status of Russian in Ukraine and the hostilities in the Donbas region), while other ideas are suppressed altogether (e.g. the juridical meaning of genocide, the actual status of right-wing extremism in Ukraine, the role of Russia in the hostilities in the Donbas, and the actual status of the language laws in Ukraine). In all of these cases, the arguments used by Russia are not valid, being based on exaggerations, hyperbolic use of terminology, and lies. The main goal of this frame is to acquire and retain support for Russia’s policy toward Ukraine, as well as to deflect any potential criticism on Russia itself. Ultimately, the Russian propaganda is part of the concept Russkij Mir ‘Russian World’, where Russian language and culture are a means to restore President Vladimir Putin’s Russian sphere of influence from Soviet times or earlier.

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Bilingualism or tricodalism: Ukrainian, Russian and “Suržyk” in Ukraine. Analysis and linguistic-geographical mapping

Cited by 15 publications

References 5 publications

Ukrainian and Russian in the lexicon of Ukrainian Suržyk: reduced variation and stabilisation in central Ukraine and on the Black Sea coast

Ukrainian and Russian in the lexicon of Ukrainian Suržyk: reduced variation and stabilisation in central Ukraine and on the Black Sea coast

East vs West: Geopolitical Orientations and Language Practices of Residents of Central and Southern Ukraine

“Ukraine commits genocide on Russians”: the term “genocide” in Russian propaganda

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