Re: Language

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: : Let's try to call things their names. If there's an independent state, it probably has to have its own state language. ("Probably" is a reference to the fact that there are well-known examples of states that only use imported languages, and last time I checked they were not doing bad at all.) But here the question is not about the establishing of Ukrainian -- it's about the expulsion of Russian. Because for the most part there's nothing to establish -- it's already there: any normally educated person that studied in a Soviet-time school in present Ukraine, save perhaps for some part in the east, knows Ukrainian. : Yes, but thev problem is: will Ukrainian children in ten years know Ukrainian or speak Ukrainian? Will it be their first language? Why should they learn Russian? They could learn it as a hobby, or if their parents want it, but to be obliged to learn it? That's exactly what will happen if Russian will become official in Ukraine. : : And that's where we come to narrow-mindedness... You want to close yourselves off, enforce one language and get rid of the rest -- : It's not the enforcement of one language, it's making everyone who lives in Ukraine know the official language, like it or not. And that's the way it is in the rest of the world: if you don't know French in France, will you even be able to become a janitor? : : for the most part I think that's fine with the rest of the world. Somehow that is not where the world is going, but hey -- it's an independent country which is free to set its own policies and be proud of the results. Not that the world will know anything about that pride, though (like it doesn't know now), but again, if that makes you feel good -- so be it! : : I know that the counterarguments will be like "We're only talking about the official language, let people at home ...... ". Sure, that avoids sounding too politically incorrect and kind of drives away that sworm of human rights defenders. But let's not be naive. We've been there. We know how it was done (in the opposite direction) in the good old USSR, and the people remain the same. Knowing only the same methods. : So you prefer the people of Ukraine to be enforced to know Russian too? : : It's all right here -- read the messages on this bulletin board. "The minority can't dictate to the 76% majority" (supposedly you've asked those 76% what they want and are just voicing their opinion...). : What about their children? Let's wait for twenty years with only Ukrainian as an official language and see what happens. : : When was the last time we saw this type of argument? : : Again, you wish to take pride in yourselves and tell the rest of the world that they, not you, are narrow-minded -- no problem, it's a free world. Maybe you'll even get a smile (I don't want to say "condescending smile" -- it's a matter of definition and perception) in reply. : Maybe vice versa, too. : : Just to place the words in context -- a very short autobiography :-) I was born in Kiev and lived there most of the time until 1998, and I currently live in the USA. : Ihor

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