Today we continue our discussion of the language situation in Ukraine by publishing one more viewpoint, which might be conditionally called pragmatism. Really, is it worth it to spend time and money on the Ukrainian language?
I have been following your articles concerning use of the Ukrainian language, both in English and in Russian with great interest. I would also like to note that the same discussion is being played out in the Kiev Post. There you will see some opinions closer to mine.
When I read the Russian language articles in Den and the articles in translation which I missed, but can read in your English summary of the week concerning use of the Russian language versus the use of Ukrainian, I feel like many contributors are missing the real point of the issue. The real point is that people (taken in large numbers) are rational and will do what it takes to live a comfortable life. If leading a comfortable life means learning a new language (as listed over and over again in your article about Ukrainian athletes in “Tarapunka and Makhradze”), they will do this. They learn Italian, German, even Hungarian (which is an exceeding difficult language for anyone to learn). We must remember when we say “learn a language”, we are requiring that a person spend a huge amount of time doing something when he or she would prefer to be doing something else, like being with family and friends. But people are glad to make this sacrifice today if it means that they will live better tomorrow. (I know, because I make this same sacrifice every day to learn Russian. So this is not a theoretical discussion, this is real.)
The reality of the situation today is that Ukrainian is a language that is of no use to anyone except intellectuals, nationalists, and people with the good fortune to be born with the language at home, because there is no economic imperative to learn it. It is that simple. Who can be proud of speaking a language from a country in which the standard of living has fallen consistently for the last 10 years? Who has the TIME to learn a language when they are paid 300 hryvnias a month (if they are paid at all), and it takes more than that to live (if we are honest with ourselves)? There is no active plot to keep people from learning Ukrainian. There does not have to be. Poverty and the lack of economic benefit does the job very nicely. And this applies to everyone — Ukrainian nationals and foreigners alike.
Your readers should remember, that the heart and soul of an individual is the one place that a person can keep for himself, if he so wishes. No one from the outside can REALLY force someone to learn something forever. People only learn what they want or need to learn. The brain physically has no place for useless knowledge. Everyone knows this. During the communist period, all the Hungarians, Poles, Romanians, etc. were forced to learn Russian. I remember that period very well, because I hoped, with my meager Russian, to be able to get by. For those who do not remember or did not have the advantage of visiting those countries at that time, let me tell you. I did not get far. People did not WANT to learn, and they DID NOT learn Russian. Their minds were always theirs own. Period. The same is true here in Ukraine. Take foreign languages here. Everyone remembers his struggles with foreign languages in school. Only those who really WANT to learn English or German remember it. Why do they make the effort? Because they hope it will pay off — intellectually and, more importantly, materially. There is no plot, there is just plain common sense in this. And the chemistry of the brain. It is just that simple.
If the movers and shakers of this country REALLY want the nation to speak Ukrainian, they will first create a country in which people live well and people are proud to be from. Then the economic desire to learn the language will be a given and people will GLADLY learn the language. It will come naturally. No one will have to force anyone because you simply cannot force such an issue. It must come from the heart.
The same will be true for foreigners. Make the country economically interesting and people will pay a lot to learn the language. But not today. Right now, for foreigners, the language is useless because the country is too poor and corrupt. Would you spend a year of your free time learning a language when you feel your investment will be lost to tax inspectors, capricious changes in laws, fire inspectors, and the list is endlessly long (short list — ineptitude and corruption in its many forms)?? Today there are 111 countries more interesting for foreign investment than Ukraine (almost as many languages more interesting to learn as well). The bottom line is REFORM and make the country a good place for all, or forget Ukrainian as an attractive language to learn. Even the French, one of the linguistically proudest nations in the world, understand this.
Rukh ruined its first chance to make Ukraine a nice place to live by placing the language issue before economic prosperity. They did not understand how people think. I plead with all people really interested in making Ukrainian (and Ukraine) attractive to really understand and push economic reform, make Ukraine a nice place to live. Then people will speak Ukrainian automatically. They will have THE DESIRE!! DO NOT LOOSE THIS CHANCE!! It is YOUR CHOICE!!
