Pochodzenie języka ukraińskiego na tle innych języków słowiańskich
The Origins of the Ukrainian Language in the Context of Other Slavic Languages

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the origins of the Ukrainian language in historical, political, and linguistic contexts, emphasizing its independence from the Russian language, in contrast to entrenched stereotypes stemming from Russian propaganda and the Soviet-era narrative of "brotherly nations." The author challenges the myth of a common Old East Slavic language from which Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian are believed to have evolved. He argues that Ukrainian developed independently and shares many features with West Slavic languages, especially Polish and Slovak, rather than with Russian. Historical attempts at Russification--such as bans on publishing books in Ukrainian and manipulative historical reinterpretations--were aimed at erasing Ukraine's distinct linguistic identity. The article also examines the classification of Slavic languages, pointing out that many linguists - particularly Russian ones - have downplayed the significance of Ukrainian as an independent language. Ukrainian scholars such as Stepan Smal-Stocki and Yurii Shevelov sought to scientifically prove the distinctiveness of Ukrainian despite repressions under the USSR. The author also presents phonetic, grammatical, and lexical differences and similarities between Ukrainian and other Slavic languages, noting that Ukrainian shares more features with Polish and Belarusian than with Russian.

• Details
• Contents