How to Say ‘Thursday’ Correctly in Ukrainian: Language Revival in Wartime
Amid the aggressive actions by Russia, which initiated a large-scale conflict in Ukraine, many Ukrainians consciously refused to use the Russian language in everyday life and switched exclusively to Ukrainian.
However, in the process of active language de-Russification, some linguistic nuances still pose challenges for those striving to speak clearly and correctly.
One such issue is the lexical term for the fourth day of the week.
The Ukrainian language has its own word for this day — ‘четвер’ (‘chetver’).
According to the ‘Dictionary UA,’ this term is widely used in various contexts; for example: ‘on Thursday, I visited her,’ or ‘an announcement was made on Thursday’ – signifying a typical day for meetings and events.
Prominent Ukrainian writers and cultural figures have also emphasized the importance of proper Ukrainian language usage in daily life and creativity.
Conducting language lessons and lectures becomes an essential step towards restoring the language among both native speakers and new learners.
Many Ukrainians have already adopted Ukrainian, but not all have avoided mistakes or are fully familiar with linguistic nuances.
Sociological studies indicate that during the wartime, a significant part of Ukrainians consciously and actively choose to communicate in the state language to strengthen national identity and cultural resilience.
Nonetheless, there are concerns that once military threats diminish, some may revert to Russian in casual communication, especially in environments where bilingualism was common.
At the same time, many Ukrainians speak Ukrainian publicly, but at home or in informal settings, they may switch back to Russian.
Further research into language transition processes and policies supporting linguistic unity is vital for the country’s stability.
For more insights on how Ukrainians overcome language barriers and the factors influencing their speech choices today, read the article ‘Language Transitional Age’ by journalist Volodymyr Shyshkov on ZN.UA.