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10 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2016 THE LINGUISTIC PARADOX OF UKRAINIANS by Lidia Kupchyk English translation by Ulana Zinych I recently found myself dwelling on a specific segment of a television program in which a jour- nalist was conducting a poll. I was struck when a lovely young lady told him that she was Ukrainian going back a few generations and thus, a “true, indigenous Ukrainian.” She spoke about this with pride, but she spoke in Russian. This disconnect lodged itself in my mind and brought me back to my earlier thoughts on the linguistic phenomenon of Ukrainians—or, more accurately, not a phe- nomenon, but a linguistic paradox—the most widespread of all the numerous paradoxes that exist in present-day Ukraine. In our times, when Russia began its crim- inal aggression against Ukraine, a true awakening of Ukrainian patriotism occurred. Millions of Ukrainians realized the need to defend their homeland and their identity. We have numerous examples of Ukrainian patriotism and heroism. . . . Many of these involve Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, who consider themselves to be true Ukrainians and who speak of their patriotism and even prove it by their actions. Here I encounter a true puzzle. Why is this? Why is it that Ukrainians who stand in de- fense of Ukraine do not stand in defense of the Ukrainian language? Why do they continue to remain in this linguistic slavery, which has been created for them for centuries by a neighboring, hostile country? Ukraine, which was forced to suf- fer for many years under foreign domination, fi- nally got its long-awaited freedom, yet it has failed to free itself from this linguistic yoke! By now, everyone is aware of how the use of the Ukrainian language was forbidden and how the language itself was destroyed in czarist Rus- sia—and later, albeit less openly, by the Bolshe- viks. The notorious secret Valuev Circular of 1863 effectively forbade “Little Russian”—that is, Ukrainian-language—publication of religious, ed- ucational, and cultural books, although publica- tion of literary works was still permitted. The power of the Valuev Circular was further extended by the Ems Decree of Emperor Alexander II in 1876, in accordance with which publication of any Ukrainian works was prohibited. These were the glaring signs of Russian autocracy’s chauvinistic policies, which aimed to intensify the national, spiritual, and political op- pression of the Ukrainian people. As a result of this oppressive political situation, many talented Ukrainian writers were forced to write their works in a foreign language. In time, greedy Russia pro- claimed them to be Russian writers. To exemplify this, one needs to mention only Mykola Hohol and Volodymyr Korolenko. Even today, Ukrainian Wikipedia identi- fies Poltava native Mykola Hohol (1809–1852) as a “Russian prose writer, playwright, poet, critic, and journalist of Ukrainian descent” and “a cele- brated classic writer of Russian literature.” But Hohol was a Ukrainian—a descendant of an ancient Ukrainian Cossack family! He stud- ied in Poltava and Nizhyn, and he enthusiastically collected Ukrainian folk songs. “If our land did not have such a treasury of songs, I would never understand its history because I would not be able to grasp the past . . . ” Hohol wrote enthusiastical- ly. He eagerly studied ancient Ukrainian history, the country's customs and folk literature, which were all depicted in his works. Yet he was forced to write in Russian! Eventually, circumstances convinced him that everyone should write in Rus- sian. . . . So what that Hohol lovingly described the beauty of Ukraine and that everyone knows his famous line: “ Wonderful is the Dnieper in qui- et weather when softly and smoothly he hurries his full waters by forests and hills . . .? He became a Russian writer! So what that he ridiculed the entire order of the Russian empire? He became the pride of Russian literature! So what that in his works he showed the profound differences in mentality between Ukrainians and Russians? He became a Russian writer! It was interesting that French critic Eu- gene Melchior de Vogue stated that all of Russian literature had come “out of Hohol's overcoat.” This is the way, by taking away the language from the Ukrainian people, Ukraine’s glory was also taken away. Ukrainian Wikipedia cites the following about Volodymyr Korolenko (1853–1921), who was born in the Zhytomyr Region: “Russian and Ukrainian writer, journalist, and community ac- tivist.” Volodymyr Korolenko sincerely loved Ukraine for the wondrous beauty of its nature; he loved the Ukrainian people for their industrious- ness, their fondness of singing, and their invinci- ble yearning for freedom; and he firmly defended the Ukrainian language and culture from persecu-
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