Focus on… Learning Ukrainian

Language Services Direct Team

The war in Ukraine has renewed the interest of many people in learning Ukrainian – a language that has previously been dismissed as being very similar to Russian, but is increasingly thought of as very different. A large part of this perceived difference is down to the global mobilisation of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, but the fact is that the two languages are very different – Ukrainian is not simply a Russian dialect.

In this article, we look into the distinct nature of the Ukrainian language and why learning Ukrainian may be a way to both support the Ukrainian people now and in the future.

Understanding the Story of the Ukrainian Language

Ukrainian is a Slavic language that uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Other Slavic languages include Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian (though not all Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet – for example, Polish uses the Latin alphabet, while Bulgarian uses a variation of both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets).

To address the similarities between Russian and Ukrainian, we need to go back in time a little. While Russian and Ukrainian would have been quite similar around 1,000 years ago (and then perhaps Ukrainian may have been considered a Russian dialect), other influences have since caused the two languages to diverge. Polish and Lithuanian rule brought Polish and other Western language and cultural influences into Ukraine and the Ukrainian language over time. Therefore, when the Soviet Union formed, the two languages and cultures had become quite different.

Perhaps a helpful way to think of the link is to consider the similarities between each of the romance languages – Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese are similar because they have the same roots, but they have each evolved in different ways. While understanding Russian may help you learn Ukrainian due to their similarities, the two languages are not generally considered to be mutually intelligible.

For Ukrainians, the story is a little different again though – many people in Ukraine also speak Russian and have done so since a young age. However, since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, many native Russian-speaking Ukrainians have shown renewed interest in learning, understanding and using the Ukrainian language.

Reasons to Learn Ukrainian

Ukrainian is spoken as a mother tongue by an estimated 28 million people, the majority of them in Ukraine. After the start of the war in Ukraine, Duolingo reported a 577% increase in people studying Ukrainian around the world, with an astonishing 2,677% increase in Poland (which has a border with Ukraine and has welcomed 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees).

While Ukrainian speakers are usually found in Ukraine and in small Ukrainian communities around the world, the war has displaced millions of people. Ukrainian refugees can be found all around the world. Many people are choosing to learn the language as a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, while others are thinking more practically about the present day as well as the future. They are considering both the current need to forge connections with people who are far from home (so they can settle in their new location), and then the future need to help the people of Ukraine rebuild once the war is over.

The future is uncertain, but the importance of communication is universal. A key way to help people is to find a way to communicate – and even basic conversational language skills may go a long way to help refugees feel supported. (Check out this video to see one multilingual journalist report on the war in multiple languages – that truly is the power of language and communication at work!)

Tips to Help You Get Started

Learning any new language can feel like a challenge, but learning one with an unfamiliar alphabet can feel like an uphill struggle! Here are a few tips to help you develop your language skills, whichever new language you are learning.

• Little and often is the key, so practise regularly – ideally every day! – if you can. Frequent practise may help to reinforce your learning far more than sporadic periods of intense study.
• Find the study tools that work for you, whether flashcards, mnemonics or lists of vocabulary. Utilise these tools in your daily practice whenever possible!
• Find a virtual (or in-person) language-learning buddy – or learn with your team if you are learning for work! And if you know someone else who is learning the same language then all the better.
• Remember your ‘why’ to motivate you as you learn. Maybe you decided to learn the language for work, or for travel, or to help others – whatever you motivation, it can keep you on track when the going gets tough.

If you would like to find out more about learning Ukrainian, contact us today. We can work with you to develop a bespoke language-learning plan for you or your business, whether you want to learn virtually or in person. All our courses can be taught live online.