Ethnocultural bilingualism in Ukraine as a result of a durable contact between the Ukrainian and Russian languages

Abstract

The article discusses the features of the functioning of the Russian and Ukrainian languages in nowadays Ukrainian society. The present language situation in Ukraine is of a great interest for the linguistics and sociolinguistics. The mass bilingualism in Ukraine is considered to be the most characteristic feature of today’s language situation. Almost all citizens of the country are bilingual, which means that they speak and understand, more or less, the Ukrainian and Russian languages. At the same time they also naturally perceive the sociocultural distinctive character of both the Ukrainian and Russian-speaking world. The communication with friends and relatives and getting access to sources of information and cultural content such as books, newspapers, magazines, radio and television creates necessary conditions for this kind of bilingualism. For a long time Russian was the main language of all types of mass media and book publishing industry in Ukraine. However, the language situation in the country is gradually changing. One of the main directions of modern state policy is to establish the formation of Ukrainian monolingualism. The article presents the facts that demonstrate how the bilingualism of Ukrainian society correlates with the choice of a particular language in such spheres as print media, radio, television, book publishing and the Internet.

For citation
Kurоkhtina T. N. Ethnocultural bilingualism in Ukraine as a result of a durable contact between the Ukrainian and Russian languages // Slavic Almanac. 2020. Issues 1–2. P. 346–364. DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2020.1-2.2.03