JoLIE 15:2/2022
GERMAN AS A MINORITY LANGUAGE IN UKRAINE
Lubov D. Frolyak
Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland
Ludmóla V. Turchyna
Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Kateryna M. Kolomiyets
Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Abstract
The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that the exploration perspective of the Ukrainian linguistic situation arises via the chronological identification of sociolinguistic portraits, the establishment of the active and passive correlation of different languages in certain chronological and situational spaces, and the definition of particular ideologies within the corresponding period for the functioning of the German language. National minorities have traditionally resided in certain areas of Ukraine, with a distinctive proportion of the representatives expressing a sense of ethnic identity and community, as well as using ethnic group tools. The features of the historical region have laid the foundations of its multinational environment that is characterised by the formation of the population structure. Its development can be traced to the second quarter of the eighteenth century. The study of the past is impossible without investigating the history of the German people who, together with other nations, have long been influencing, the fate of certain regions. In order to resolve a range of issues in the last century effectively, national administrative-territorial units were established in regions that were inhabited by national minorities. The organisational formation of national administrative units in Ukraine began with the allocation of German districts and particular regions. Interethnic integration processes have caused a predicament that clearly reflects the general socio-economic situation in the country. The purpose of the present research is to identify and consider the functioning of the German language amongst national minorities in Ukraine, as well as to reveal its status at the current stage of the country’s development. The methods that were used to achieve this aim were the comparative method and the method of survey collection. The situation of the minority language has always attracted the civil and national political forces’ attention. The representatives of national minorities have cultivated centuries-old customs and traditions, and their language represents a cultural identity that is passed on to children and grandchildren from generation to generation. The research results that were obtained can be applied to address the issues of German’s linguistic existence amongst national minorities in Ukraine and to identify ways to support them via the involvement of state authorities.
Keywords: Ethnic groups; Culture, Traditions, Identity, Education.
References
Adler, A. (2020). Counting languages: How to do it and what to avoid. A German perspective. Retrieved 20 November, 2021, from https://www.meits.org/policy-papers/paper/counting-languages-how-to-do-it-and-what-to-avoid-a-german-perspective
Akhmetova, A.Z., Dalbergenova, L.E., Menlibekova, G.Z., Dujsenbina, A.T., & Tleuberdina, G.T. (2020). Method to overcome psychological barriers in students learning the German language [Método para superar las barreras psicológicas en los estudiantes que aprenden el idioma alemán]. Utopia y Praxis Latinoamericana, 25(Extra 7), 121-129.
Bourdieu, P. (2016). The economics of linguistic exchanges. Social Science Information, 16(6), 645-668. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F053901847701600601
Brehmer, B., & Mehlhorn, G. (2020). Foreword to the special issue “Languages of origin”. Journal for Foreign Language Research, 26(1), 107-113.
Constitution of Ukraine. (1996). Retrieved 15 November, 2021, from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80?lang=en#Text
Dalbergenova, L., Tleuberdina, G., Amrenova, R., Zhakupova, A., & Duisenbina, A. (2021). Epistemic causal relations in German and Kazakh discursive texts. Astra Salvensis, (Supplement 1/2021), 41-58.
Eichinger, L.M., Gärtig, A.-K., Plewnia, A., Roessel, J., Rothe, A., Rudert, S., et al. (2009). Aktuelle spracheinstellungen in Deutschland. Erste ergebnisse einer bundesweiten repräsentativumfrage. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/83653098.pdf
Eichinger, L.M., Plewnia, A., Schoel, C., & Stahlberg, D. (2012). Language and attitudes: Linguistic attitudes from linguistic and social psychological perspective. Berlin: Gunter Narr Verlag.
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. (1992). Retrieved 15 November, 2021, from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_014?lang=en#Text
Hobsbawm, E. (2018). Nations and nationalism since 1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Law of Ukraine No. 2494-XII “On national minorities in Ukraine”. (1992). Retrieved 17 November, 2021, from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2494-12#Text
Law of Ukraine No. 802-IV “On ratification of European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages”. (2003). Retrieved 15 November, 2021, from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/802-15#Text
Lieberson, S. (2018). Language questions in censuses. Sociological Inquiry, 36(2), 262-273.
Percio, A.D., Flubacher, M., & Duchêne, A. (2017). Language and political economy. Retrieved 20 November, 2021, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212896.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190212896-e-4. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212896.013.4
Rüdebusch, F., & Kuntzsch, L. (2018). The language work of the Association for the German Language and its contribution to language cultivation. Muttersprache, 128(1), 66-79.
Schoel, C. (2020). Attitudes towards languages scale: A global instrument. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 32(1), 21-33. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X12457922
Sebba, M. (2018). English a foreign tongue: The 2011 census in England and the misunderstanding of multilingualism. Journal of Language and Politics, 16(2), 264-275. doi: https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.14026.seb
Stevenson, P., Horner, K., Langer, N., & Reershemius, G. (2018). The German-speaking world: A practical introduction to sociolinguistic issues. London: Routledge.
Stickel, G., & Volz, N. (2019). Opinions and attitudes to the German language: Results of a nationwide representative survey. Berlin: Institute for the German Language.
Uebelmesser, S., Huber, M., & Weingarten, S. (2018). The German language worldwide: A new data set on language learning. CESifo Economic Studies, 64(1), 103-121. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/cesifo/ify007
Vertovec, S. (2015). Germany second turning point: Long-term effects of the refugee crisis. Retrieved 23 November, 2021, from https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/germanys-second-turning-point-long-term-effects-of-refugee-crisi/.
Wolf, S. (2017). On the social and political situation of recognized national minorities in Germany. Retrieved 20 November, 2021, from https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/apuz/243860/zur-sozialen-und-politischen-lage-der-anerkannten-nationalen-minderheiten-in-deutschland/
Ying, B.T., Hoon, A.L., Halim, H.A., & Majtanova, M. (2018). Students’ beliefs on translation strategy in learning German language. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 18(1), 69-86. doi: http://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2018-1801-05
How to cite this article: Frolyak, L. D., Turchyna, L. V., & Kolomiyets, K. M. (2022). German as a minority language in Ukraine. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 15(2), 59-72. doi: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2022.15.2.6
For details on subscription, go to: http://jolie.uab.ro/index.php?pagina=-&id=19&l=en