On April 25, the Verkhovna Rada passed a new law on languages whose primary aim is to protect the primacy of the Ukrainian language in Ukraine. The vote tally was 278 for, 38 against, seven abstaining and 25 not voting; it came after a review of over 2,000 amendments in a painstaking process begun back in June 2017. The law recognizes that language is a primary component of national identity and, as our correspondent reported from Kyiv, it “elevates the status of the Ukrainian in nearly every facet of life.”
Why is this important for Ukraine and its people? For decades, even centuries, Ukrainian was relegated to second-class status as a result of foreign subjugation. Back in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the use of Ukrainian was curtailed or forbidden by Polish and Austro-Hungarian rulers, and by such notorious tsarist-era decrees as the Valuev Order and the Ems Ukaz. The goal, of course, was to assimilate Ukrainians and stifle their drive toward self-determination.
Under Soviet domination, speaking Russian was necessary for advancement in any career, while Ukrainian was considered an inferior language spoken by peasants. In addition, the Ukrainian language was systematically Russified – the better to make it look as if it was a mere dialect of the “greater” Russian language and to bring it closer and closer to Russian in terms of letters, words, declensions, grammar, etc. It was all part of the plan to create a Homo Sovieticus who spoke the de facto language of the USSR, to “denationalize” the population. In fact, we still see the results of that Russification today, both in the written and spoken language used by residents of Ukraine. Many speakers in Ukraine are not even aware that the language they use is one altered by forced Russification. What’s more, Russian continues to dominate in the media and business spheres.
The new law defines Ukrainian as the sole state language of Ukraine, and it requires public servants to speak the language in their official capacities. Ukrainian will become the language of instruction beginning in the fifth grade and continuing into higher education. It contains provisions regarding publishing, advertising, public events, broadcasts, computer programs and more. Notably, free centers for adult study of Ukrainian are to be established in every region.
Still, other languages are protected. The law does not apply to private communication or the religious realm. National minorities have the right to instruction in their native languages in pre-schools and primary schools (up to Grade 5). Moreover, the law provides for a transition period – until September 2023 – for national minorities to receive secondary education in their respective languages while the gradual shift to Ukrainian as the language of instruction is made. Teaching minority languages is allowed in private institutions (much like the “ridni shkoly” that teach Ukrainian in our diaspora communities).
On the day the law was passed, President Petro Poroshenko emphasized: “The flowering of the Ukrainian language after centuries of total Russification is a mission we must accomplish. Respect for the rights of people who speak Russian and other languages is also important. This is a European practice, which we strictly adhere to and will adhere to. And people will quickly enough make sure that the new law does not interfere with this in any way.” Speaking on April 29, the president underscored: “The law on the Ukrainian language does not mean that we want to put pressure on any other language. This is definitely not the case. This law means we must protect our language. For it will be protected in no place in the world, except Ukraine.”
Bottom line: What the new law aims to do is right centuries of historic wrongs, to give Ukrainian the status it deserves as the language of an independent and sovereign Ukraine that seeks to take its rightful place among the democratic nations of the world – the land of proud citizens who call themselves Ukrainians.