Some aspects concerning the language situation in Chernihiv (based on a survey conducted among pupils in 2018)

Abstract

Background. The article focuses on the current language situation in Chernihiv, the center of the borderland region in Northern Ukraine. The research shows some specific features of Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism among secondary school pupils of the city.Purpose. The objective of this study is to investigate the results of the survey conducted in 2018 among 677 pupils. The study aims to present the current situation, issues, and perspectives of the Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism among young citizens of Chernihiv.Methods.The research made use of 10-minute sociolinguistic questionnaires as well as observations on pupils’ language behavior. Additionally, a comparative analysis was applied to reveal the dynamics of the language situation in the city within the assigned time.Results. The findings of this study showed an asymmetric character in the bilingualism among pupils. In particular, they emphasized the domination of Ukrainian within the educational sphere, while Russian proved to be the main language of use in the respondents’ everyday life. A long-running process of russification resulted in youths’ unwillingness to code-switch during the communication with Ukrainian speaking people, which is also typical of the cities in Southern and Eastern Ukraine. The language situation in schools is diglossic: Ukrainian is used mostly as the language of classroom instruction, whereas Russian is spoken in the intervals between the classes.Discussion. Despite the domination of Russian in their everyday life, local pupils expressed positive attitudes towards the Ukrainian language and recognized it as one of the elements of the Ukrainian statehood. Nevertheless, the language situation of Chernihiv requires more investigation due to its demographic issues and increasing population ageing.Article received 11.11.2018