Contesting spaces

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the use of two pairs of Russian prepositions—v‍/‍na (‘in/on’) and iz/s (‘from’) with the noun Ukraine in X discourse. Since Ukrainian independence in 1991, v Ukraine and iz Ukraine have been used to indicate Ukrainian sovereignty and na and s used as their unmarked counterparts as defined by Russian linguistic tradition. Using a web-based set of tools called TWIG, we examine how posts containing the prepositional phrases construct stances toward the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, we examine the frequency of the prepositional phrases, their collocations, and the semantics conveyed by the collocational patterns. Our findings show notable differences in the collocational patterns of posts using v Ukraine versus na Ukraine. Analysis of these collocations suggests that posts using v Ukraine have a proximation effect to the conflict, while those using na Ukraine have a distancing effect.