Language legislation in the era of independence: sociolinguistic dimension

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to examine the sociolinguistic dimension of language legislation in Ukraine. The study focuses on the impact of the “language issue” on Ukrainian society in the context of war as well as to analyse linguistic representations, ideologies, and attitudes and their impact on the linguistic behaviour of Ukrainians. A resource for activating interpersonal solidarity and resistance to the enemy, and for modulating the manifestation of individual positions in macrosociological and political relations that may arise in the process of interaction. With the help of a critical approach to the theoretical guidelines of the study the role of language legislation in shaping language policy and regulating the use of languages in various spheres of life is analysed. The issues of linguistic equality, diglossia, and language policy in relation to minority languages are considered. The most important issue of the paper is that the language legislation of the independence era in Ukraine is of great importance for the sociolinguistic development of society. In times of war, it affects language processes, language policy, and the total transition to the state language. Excluding the language of the enemy, however, does not mean levelling all languages. It is important to strike a balance between protecting the language rights of citizens and preserving linguistic diversity in the country.