Time and Space in Between: Time Zones, Languages, and Cultures in Transcarpathia (Ukraine)

Abstract

In this paper, based on the data of a sociological research and the analysis of the linguistic landscapes of six Transcarpathian cities, we have illustrated that in Transcarpathia a significant part of the population – regardless of ethnicity – live their lives not according to the official “Kyiv time” (EET; UTC+2) but according to the “local time” (CET; UTC+1). Even the names of the two times are distinguished in the local language use in Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Russian languages alike. The difference between official central time and “local time” appeared in Transcarpathia when the region became annexed to the Soviet Union. Yet, before the Second World War, each state in the region used CET. The Soviet power introduced Moscow time zone (MSK; UTC+3) of two hours ahead. The distinction between “local time” and central time was maintained when Transcarpathia became part of the newly independent Ukraine. The population in the region was urged to use a different time zone for a relatively short time from a historical point of view. The persistence of “local time” is also strengthened by the fact that it contributes to the image of Transcarpathia as a particular, specific region of Ukraine.

Multilingual COVID-19 linguistic landscape in Berehove

“…Multilingualism has been present in the region for the last centuries, and this tradition was still valid in the Soviet era in connection with the use of minority languages [Csernicskó 2016;. As a result of a series of historical events in the region, the ethnic groups living in Transcarpathia respected each other's culture, religion and use of language, and conflicts only arose if rights to language use were focefully taken away [Hires-László 2020].…”

“…As a result of a series of historical events in the region, the ethnic groups living in Transcarpathia respected each other's culture, religion and use of language, and conflicts only arose if rights to language use were focefully taken away [Hires-László 2020]. These general characteristics apply to the multilingualism of the multiethnic Transcarpathia and its linguistic landscape [Csernicskó 2019;Karmacsi 2018aKarmacsi , 2018bLaihonen & Csernicskó 2019;Hires-László 2019;Erőss & Kovály 2018]. In the linguistic landscape analyses on various topics, the conclusions all prove that the multilingual signs visible and readable in the area also appear in the languages of its minorities.…”