Ambivalent attitude towards language as a consequence of unofficial bilingualism in Ukraine

Abstract

The language situation of informal bilingualism in Ukraine is considered, as well as other factors that cause an ambivalent attitude towards the national language. The influence of citizens' memories of the Soviet past, the course of the war with Russia, the current legislation that strengthens the status of the Ukrainian language as a national language is analyzed. The fact of distorted understanding of the concepts of language norm, national language, native language, language convenient for communication is proved in the mass consciousness of citizens. The results of the questionnaire survey of students and teachers of the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture, Kharkiv Higher College of Arts, subscribers of public libraries of Novobavarsky and Industrial districts of Kharkiv are outlined. Percentages are given. That confirms the ambivalent attitude of Ukrainian citizens to their native language. It is emphasized that the leading areas of modern sociolinguistics are issues of language policy, language situation, language variability. The language community in Ukraine and the social and communicative system in the country are deeply studied. The study of sociolects as group language features of different social groups and many borrowings that have a destructive effect on the literary Ukrainian language and citizens' awareness of the essence of the national language is being updated. The language situation with Ukrainian bilinguals, who have a Soviet past and remember the Russian language of instruction at school and university, is outlined, but given the requirements of today, diglossia is used in social communication. Diglossia is considered as a sociolinguistic phenomenon that involves the conscious choice of a language depending on the language situation. It is a common phenomenon in the Ukrainian communicative environment. The legislative framework on national language policy in Ukraine is not able to remove from the mass consciousness of citizens distorted ideas about their native language. Consequently, the logical chain is broken that in Ukraine the national language is Ukrainian, that it is native to Ukraine citizen and should be convenient for communication.