Changes in the linguistic identity of Ukrainians during the Russian-Ukrainian war: 2022

Abstract

The paper considers the views of the contempory thinkers and those of the past on the inextricable link between the language and human spiritual strength, as well as the role of the Ukrainianlanguage as a national one at the present stage of its development. Examples from the Ukrainian life in the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as the fragments of transcripts from sociolinguistic research in the Transcarpathian region, in particular within the «Contested LanguageDiversity — Dealing with Minority Languages in post-Soviet Ukraine» project, characterize the language and linguistic and political situation in Ukraine in general and the Transcarpathian region in particular. It is hoped that at this historic moment, the Ukrainian language will become the basis for the nation unification. Attention has been also paid to the manipulativeness of Russian narratives, to Russianspeaking fighters who defend Ukraine, and to the need to generate one’s own ways of addressing events. The author hopes that precisely at this historical moment, the latest temporary «resettlement» of Ukrainian residents will contribute to the gradual and organic transition of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine to Ukrainian, which will eventually become the basis for the unification of the nation. Keywords: linguo-philosophy, the Ukrainian language, mother tounge, de-Russification, language policy, sociological polls