War, Language and Culture

Abstract

Summary The article presents the analysis of the changes, which have occurred in the linguistic and cultural public consciousness of the Ukrainians since the Russian invasion into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The research was conducted based on the results of online survey involving respondents from the educational and cultural spheres (teachers, lecturers, museum and library workers, theatrical and literary workers). The choice of this target group was based on the assumption that this professional group is the most sensitive to any changes in the sphere we aim to study. People employed in culture and education are capable of self-reflection, and, in accordance with their professional functions, they have an obvious intellectual, moral, and ethical influence on society, thus bearing the responsibility for the situation and broadcasting their position and attitude to the linguistic situation and culture. According to the results of the survey, many bilingual informants refuse to use Russian, and Russian-speaking Ukrainians attempt to start speaking Ukrainian by studying it independently or taking courses. The analysis showed that Cancelled Russian culture is a phenomenon relevant not only for virtual space. Negative attitudes towards Russia are transferred to classical Russian literature, to Russian-language music content, and, to a lesser extent, to modern fiction. At the same time, a third of the respondents directly or indirectly approve of the use of taboo (swear) words and expressions in public space. The study makes it possible to understand the dynamics of public attitude and the general vector of linguistic and cultural changes.