Participants of scholarly conference appeal to Yushchenko regarding Ukrainian language (07/23/06)

Participants of scholarly conference appeal to Yushchenko regarding Ukrainian language

Following is the full text of a letter sent electronically to President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine from the participants of the 25th annual Conference on Ukrainian Subjects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The letter is dated June 24; it was received by The Weekly on July 7.

Dear Mr. President:

We the participants in the 25th annual Conference on Ukrainian Subjects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.A.) are deeply disturbed by the threat that hovers over the Ukrainian language in Ukraine. Numerous attempts to grant the official regional status to the Russian language disseminates discord and hostility among Ukrainians and thus weakens the very foundation of Ukrainian statehood.

Those anti-Ukrainian groups in Ukraine which aim at making Russian the second official language rely upon the European Charter of Languages which, by the way, contradicts Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine. Besides, minority languages - and especially the Russian language in Ukraine - are not in any danger of extinction. On the contrary, it is the Ukrainian language that is in dire need of support and protection.

The current state of the Ukrainian language is ominous. Russian language dominates in radio, television, the press and literature, and this arouses great anxiety in us.

We ask you, Mr. President, to protect the Constitution of Ukraine and not allow the country to dissect itself into small regional linguistic pieces since Ukraine happens to be one and indivisible for every Ukrainian in this world.

Argentieri, Frederico (Italy), Artemchuk, Halik (Ukraine), Bashun, Olena (Ukraine), Betlii, Olena (Ukraine), Biychuk, Halyna (Ukraine), Brown, Kate (U.S.A.), Bystrytska, Ella (Ukraine), Chumachenko, Volodymyr (U.S.A.), Colley, Nigel Linsan (Great Britain), Finikov, Taras (Ukraine), Fizer, John (U.S.A.), Fizer, Maria (U.S.A.), Fournier, Anna (Canada), Horlianskyj, Ivan (Ukraine), Halagida, Ihor (Poland), Hayova, Oksana (Ukraine), Holowinsky, Ivan (U.S.A.), Hornjatkevych, Andrij (Canada), Humesky, Assya (U.S.A.), Hunczak, Taras (U.S.A.), Khmarskyj, Vadym (Ukraine), Klymchuk, Maria (U.S.A.), Kmit, Yaroslav (Ukraine), Kolomiyets, Lada (Ukraine), Kononchuk, Tetiana (Ukraine), Konowal, Alex (U.S.A.), Konarsky, Halyna (Australia), Kupchynsky, Oleh (Ukraine), Kuropas, Myron (U.S.A.), Lominska, Natalia (Ukraine), Luchuk, Olha (Ukraine), Luchuk, Taras (Ukraine), Luzhnytsky, Alexander (U.S.A.), Marples, David (Canada), Masnyk, Ihor (U.S.A.), Melnychuk, Stepan (Ukraine), Melnyk, Zynoij (U.S.A.), Myroniuk, Halyna (U.S.A.), Naydan, Michael (U.S.A.), Ohar, Vasyl (U.S.A.), Pasichnyk, Ihor (Ukraine), Pekarska, Liudmyla (Great Britain), Perebyinis, Petro (Ukraine), Popovic, Ljudmyla (Serbia), Procyk, Anna (U.S.A.), Rohovyk, Svitlana (U.S.A.), Romanchuk, Oleh (Ukraine), Romanovska, Yulia (Ukraine), Romanovsky, Olexander (Ukraine), Rozumnyj, Jaroslav (Canada), Rozumnyj, Oksana (Canada), Rudnytzky, Leonid (U.S.A.), Sacuk, Olena (Puerto Rico), Serbyn, Roman (Canada), Serhijchuk, Volodymyr (Ukraine), Serhiijchuk, Mykola (Ukraine), Shtohryn, Dmytro (U.S.A.), Shtohryn, Estakhia (U.S.A.), Shuhaj, Vitalij (Ukraine), Shykh, Yulian (Ukraine), Sochocky, Chrisine (Canada), Svarnyk, Halyna (Ukraine), Trumbul, Nataniel (USA), Wolowyna, Oleh (U.S.A.), Wussek, Liudmyla (U.S.A.), Yakovenko, Natalia (Ukraine), Yatskiv, Yaroslav (Ukraine), Zheleznjak, Mykola (Ukraine).

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