Languages of Ukraine

The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, an East Slavic language, which is the native language of 67.5% of Ukraine's population. Russian is the native language of 29.6% of Ukraine's population (mostly in Eastern Ukraine where Soviet forced resettlement occurred) and the rest (2.9%) are native speakers of other languages. Ethnologue lists 40 minority languages and dialects; nearly all are native to the former Soviet Union. According to a survey conducted in 2006-2007 by Gallup, formerly the American Institute of Public Opinion, 83% of the respondents preferred to conduct the Gallup interview in Russian.[1]

Languages of Ukraine
Official
Significant
Indigenous
Minority 
Foreign
  1. Russian
  2. English
  3. German
  4. French
  5. Spanish
  6. Italian / Arabic
SignedUkrainian Sign Language
Keyboard layout
Cyrillic layout in Windows Vista
SourceCensus-2001

According to Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine the state has an obligation to ensure the comprehensive development and functioning of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of social life throughout Ukraine while guaranteeing the free development, use and protection of the Russian language and other languages of national minorities of Ukraine.

Language and daily life

In an 11–23 December 2015 study by the Razumkov Centre taken in all regions of Ukraine other than Russian-annexed Crimea, and separatist controlled Donetsk, and Luhansk, a majority considered Ukrainian their native language (60%), followed by Russian (15%), while 22% used both languages equally. Two percent had another native language. For the preferred language of work, an equal amount chose either Ukrainian or Russian (37%) and 21% communicated bilingually. The study polled 10,071 individuals and held a 1% margin of error.[2][3]

Past polling

In an October 2009 poll by FOM-Ukraine of 1,000 respondents, 52% stated they use Russian as their "Language of communication"; while 41% of the respondents state they use Ukrainian and 8% stated they use a mixture of both.[4]

A March 2010 poll[5] by Research & Branding Group showed that 65% considered Ukrainian as their native language and 33% Russian. This poll also showed the standard of knowledge of the Russian language (free conversational language, writing and reading) in current Ukraine is higher (76%) than the standard of knowledge of the Ukrainian language (69%). More respondents preferred to speak Ukrainian (46%) than Russian (38%) with 16% preferring to speak both in equal manner.

A poll held November 2009 revealed that 54.7% of the population of Ukraine believed the language issue in Ukraine was irrelevant, that each person could speak the language they preferred and that a lot more important problems existed in the country; 14.7% of those polled stated that the language issue was an urgent problem that could not be postponed and that calls for immediate resolution; another 28.3% believed that, while the language issue needed to be resolved, this could be postponed.[6]

An August 2011 poll by Razumkov Centre showed that 53.3% of the respondents use the Ukrainian language in everyday life, while 44.5% use Russian.[7]

In a May 2012 poll by RATING, 50% of respondents considered Ukrainian their native language, 29% Russian, 20% consider both Ukrainian and Russian their mother tongue and 1% considered a different language their native language.[8]

Current languages

The languages of Ukraine, according to 2001 Ukrainian Census and Ethnologue, are as follows. (Not included are Vlax Romani and Slovak, for which no population data are available):[9]

Regional languages

As a result of legislation entitled the 'Bill on the principles of the state language policy", which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in August 2012, languages spoken by at least 10% of an oblast's population were made possible to be elevated to the status of 'regional language'. Whilst Ukrainian remained the country's only 'official' language nationwide, other languages, dependent on their adoption by oblast authorities, became accepted mediums of communication in education, local government offices, courts and official correspondence.[11] In October 2014 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine started reviewing the constitutionality of the law,[12] and on 28 February 2018 it ruled the law unconstitutional.[12]

Historical facts

According to the Russian census 1897 on the territory of the nine Russian guberniyas in modern Ukraine yielded the following results:

Language composition
List of mentioned regions

Maps

All-Ukraine
  • 1989 / 2001 Fluency in Ukrainian (red column) and Russian (blue column)
  • 2001 Majority self-professed "native" (not necessarily habitually spoken) language by locality
  • 2001 Ukrainian
  • 2001 Russian
  • 2001 Both
  • 2003 Surzhyk

Crimea

Language Policy

In 2016, a New rule came into force requiring Ukraine's radio stations to play a quota of Ukrainian-language songs each day. The law also requires TV and radio broadcasters to ensure 60% of programs such as news and analysis are in Ukrainian.[13]

In September 2017, Ukraine instituted a similar policy on languages in public education. The law required the school used Ukrainian, the national language, in all classes that did not require a second language.[14] The exception from this being language classes that would be taught using "English or other official languages of the European Union."[15]

See also

References
  1. Russian Language Enjoying a Boost in Post-Soviet States(in English)
  2. "Українці стали частіше розмовляти українською". Українська правда. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. "КОНСОЛІДАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО СУСПІЛЬСТВА : ШЛЯХИ, ВИКЛИКИ, ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ : Інформаційно-аналітичні матеріали" (PDF). Uceps.org. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  4. "ФОМ > Мнения и взгляды населения Украины в сентябре - октябре 2009 года". Bd.fom.ru. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. "Маркетинговые, социологические и политические исследования - R&B Group". Rb.com.ua. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  6. Poll: more than half of Ukrainians did not consider language issue pressing, Kyiv Post (November 25, 2009)
  7. "Опитування: більшість українців спілкуються вдома українською мовою". Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  8. The language question, the results of recent research in 2012, RATING (25 May 2012)
  9. Languages of Ukraine, Ethnologue, 2009.
  10. "Чисельність осіб окремих етнографічних груп украінського етносу та їх рідна мова". database.ukrcensus.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Database of State Statistics Committee of Ukraine. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. "Russian becomes regional language in three more regions in Ukraine". ukrinform.ua.
  12. Constitutional Court declares unconstitutional language law of Kivalov-Kolesnichenko, Ukrinform (28 February 2018)
  13. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-37908828
  14. Genin, Aaron (March 28, 2019). "Upcoming Elections and Ukrainian "Ultra-nationalism"". The California Review. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  15. "New education law becomes effective in Ukraine". www.unian.info. September 28, 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-16.

Bibliography
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