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Borys Kosarev: Modernist Kharkiv, 1915-1931 at The Ukrainian Museum thru May 2, 2012
Posted by lesia on March 27, 2000 at 12:07:23:
In Reply to: Re: The problem of languages in another countries posted by habelok on March 27, 2000 at 11:23:08:
: Lesia,
: Why always do we have to copy or to look up for cultural matters outside of Ukraine? It is not of a technological importance for us. What do YOU think about it? What is YOUR opinion? What is a language for you anyway? Is it one of the means of communication or is it a religious matter? Why are we so dramatic about it? By the way it is not the Russians who keep Russian language alive, it is the Ukrainians who find it more convenient to use in their every day life. Yes, under the Soviets people were put in the position to speak Russian. Yes, they are used to it. So what? Let it be. Why is it such a big deal? Sure we shout "Shame!". But I think, a language, same as a religion, is something that every individual decides for himself or herself personally. Plus, everybody, why almost all of you picking on the Ukrainians from the Eastern Ukraine? They speak what ever they can. Leave them alone. Be tolerant people. Don't become language fundamentalists.
: Take a note. I am not from the Eastern Ukraine. And my primary language IS Ukrainian.
Here many people speak about the language and what the language represent. This is a basis of every culture. The European cultures we can see now preserve their language. Cultures, which lost their language, lost their culture (eg. Aquitania in France). This is why preserve Ukrainian in Ukrain is important, as I think.
Yes, many people in Ukrain don´t speak Ukrainian. There are Ukrainians which don´t know their language. Why? It was better to speak in Russian, "perspektivnee". Did you try to speak in Kiev in Ukrainian in the 70th? So you know what it was. Is it a guilt of these people? No, but the language is in the danger. You say me that you are not from Eastern Europe, so you know that even in Lviv at this moment there are a lot of Russian. So let seat and wait when it die?!
Another thing - if we want Ukrain as independent country, the language is vital for this matter. Tolerance? Read once more my posting. I don´t propose any discrimination of Russians in the territory they live, but why we must study their language? Why I or you in Kiev, any Ukrainian in the Governamental organization must use Russian?! It is a tolerance, when governamental workers don´t want to do exams of Ukrain? About what bilingualism and tolerance do you speaking?
So, as we don´t want to see in what way this was done in Europe, as we are very tolerant, I MUST speak in Kiev Russian? I don´t say with "Mar´Vanna from the 5th floor", I mean with any governamental worker? It´s really the same for me who is he - Russian, Ukrainian, Judish, Hungarian. I want to speak in MY land in MY language. As I speak in Russia Russian. Only in Ukrain the idea to do Ukrainian oficial, and Russian not, make so many problems. In ANY country ANY minority ask to do their language oficial in WHOLE the country. "Vperedi planeti vsey"?