Argumentative Essay. Ivanna Voitsekhovych

Lina Kostenko once said: “Nations die not because of the stroke; first they lose their tongue.” We’ve work over the chain of dispositions, statements, effective and reversed laws, newspaper articles concerning language situation in Ukraine. We saw that modern language policy in Ukraine makes the status of the official language weak and precarious. However, Russian that used to be the official language of the former USSR nowadays broadens its influence and strengthens its authority. In fact, the national linguistic policy is dangerous for Ukrainian language for three main reasons.

First of all, public opinion polls demonstrate that more and more speakers of two languages (bilingues) chose Russian as the most usual in their daily life. Some people may consider that Russian language is understandable to everybody so preferring it in everyday life is for the best. Nevertheless it is the straight way to destroy Ukrainian-speaking society. It is obvious that the language has to be spoken; otherwise, it is just an abstract for linguists or language historians.

Second of all, recently drawn up bills on the language issues intended to raise the status of Russian if not to the official level than close to it. Although adoptions of these law projects could help to establish better political relationship with the Russian Federation, they constitute a menace for the free development of Ukrainian as official language.

Third of all, the linguistic policy in the cultural sphere does not let mass media to form national cultural space: to spread Ukrainian language and Ukrainian culture, to regenerate historical memory. Now it is permitted to demonstrate movies translated into Russian. The volume of Ukrainian production on the TV-screens was diminished from 50 to 25 percent. Still some may see here financial advantages: there is no need to pay those who work with cultural production anymore. Now it is enough to buy ready products abroad. But it may become the reduced price of Ukranian independence.

In conclusion, Ukrainian language is threatened by the modern state linguistic policy. Only if we protect the native language and the culture built on its basis from the powerful influence of former metropolitan country, Ukrainians will manage to overcome the consequences of the prolonged assimilation and implement our right for the national originality.