우크라이나의 이중 언어 상황과 언어의 정치학

Abstract

Ukraine is a bilingual state in a practical sense, where most citizens have command of both Ukrainian and Russian. After the independence, Ukraine has conducted a relatively effective language policy compared to other newly independent states, which can be characterized as a gradual and tolerant policy for language diversity. The language situation in Ukraine, however, has changed recently due to an overt manifestation of regional and political cleavage. After the so-called Orange Revolution, the language question became a political issue in Ukraine and the influence of the Russian government has played a role to turn the language question to a politically thorny issue. In this article, firstly, the role of the language policy in a country like Ukraine, where political, regional and cultural cleavages still prevail the political discussions is analyzed. For an objective picture of the bilingual society, the language situation is analyzed, utilizing various statistical data. The status of the Ukrainian language in the constitution and in other laws is examined to depict the process of the status planning for the Ukrainian language. Lastly, recent political discussions and debates concerning the language issue among major political parties and leading politicians are examined to measure the influence of politics on the language policy. In sum, recently the language question has been politicized too much in Ukraine and, consequently, has undesirable effects on the language situation. The most important task is to depoliticize the language issue and then to pursue an effective policy for the national development.